Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale

What it measures

A positively worded scale measuring mental wellbeing including both positive affect and eudaimonic functioning. All items are positively framed — it assesses the presence of wellbeing rather than absence of pathology. Widely used in UK public health and intervention research.

Response format

Likert (1–5, none of the time to all of the time) over the past 2 weeks; total 14–70

Representative items

• I've been feeling optimistic about the future.
• I've been feeling useful.
• I've been feeling relaxed.
• I've been dealing with problems well.
• I've been thinking clearly.

Usage notes & scoring

Freely available for non-commercial use. Sum all 14 items; higher = better wellbeing. Population norms available for UK adults. SWEMWBS (7-item version) also available. Recommended by NHS Scotland and used in UK population surveys.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Tennant, R., et al. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): Development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5, Article 63.

Keywords