Chapter 21 Mental Health Continuum - Mental Health Survey (MHC)

21.1 Background

The Mental Health Continuum - Mental Health Survey (MHC) form used in this study is the 14-item short form version. The MHC was created by Corey Keyes at Emory University, (Keyes 2002).

21.2 MHC Short Form: 14 Items

The short form 14 item version asks how often in the past month the respondent felt “X” - each of these 14 feelings and thoughts are listed below. Each item is rated from 0 (never) to 5 (every day). The final scoring provides an indication of whether each participant is “flourishing”, “languishing”, or “moderately mentally healthy”. See more at http://bttop.org/sites/default/files/public/MHC-SF%20Brief%20Introduction%209.22.2014.pdf.

How often in the past month have you felt?

  1. happy
  2. interested in life
  3. satisfied
  4. that you had something important to contribute to society
  5. that you belonged to a community (like social group, your neighborhood, your city)
  6. that our society is becoming a better place for people
  7. that people are basically good
  8. that the way our society works makes sense to you
  9. that you liked most parts of your personality
  10. good at managing the responsibilities of your daily life
  11. that you had warm and trusting relationships with others
  12. that you have experiences that challenge you to grow and become a better person
  13. confident to think or express your own ideas and opinions
  14. that your life has a sense of direction or meaning to it

References

Keyes, Corey L. M. 2002. “The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 43 (2). SAGE Publications:207. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090197.