BACKGROUND: Mental well-being underpins many aspects of health and social functioning, and is economically important. AIMS: To describe mental well-being in a general population sample and to determine the extent to which mental well-being and mental illness are independent of one another. METHOD: Secondary analysis of a survey of 7293 adults in England. Nine survey questions were identified as possible indicators of mental well-being. Common mental disorders (ICD-10) were ascertained using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Principal components analysis was used to describe the factor structure of mental well-being and to generate mental well-being indicators. RESULTS: A two-factor solution found eight out of nine items with strong loadings on well-being. Eight items corresponding to hedonic and eudaemonic well-being accounted for 36.9% and 14.3% of total variance respectively. Separate hedonic and eudaemonic well-being scales were created. Hedonic well-being (full of life; having lots of energy) declined with age, while eudaemonic well-being (getting on well with family and friends; sense of belonging) rose steadily with age. Hedonic well-being was lower and eudaemonic well-being higher in women. Associations of well-being with age, gender, income and self-rated health were little altered by adjustment for symptoms of mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: In a large nationally representative population sample, two types of well-being were distinguished and reliably assessed: hedonic and eudaemonic. Associations with mental well-being were relatively independent of symptoms of mental illness. Mental well-being can remain even in the presence of mental suffering.
BACKGROUND: Mental well-being underpins many aspects of health and social functioning, and is economically important. AIMS: To describe mental well-being in a general population sample and to determine the extent to which mental well-being and mental illness are independent of one another. METHOD: Secondary analysis of a survey of 7293 adults in England. Nine survey questions were identified as possible indicators of mental well-being. Common mental disorders (ICD-10) were ascertained using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Principal components analysis was used to describe the factor structure of mental well-being and to generate mental well-being indicators. RESULTS: A two-factor solution found eight out of nine items with strong loadings on well-being. Eight items corresponding to hedonic and eudaemonic well-being accounted for 36.9% and 14.3% of total variance respectively. Separate hedonic and eudaemonic well-being scales were created. Hedonic well-being (full of life; having lots of energy) declined with age, while eudaemonic well-being (getting on well with family and friends; sense of belonging) rose steadily with age. Hedonic well-being was lower and eudaemonic well-being higher in women. Associations of well-being with age, gender, income and self-rated health were little altered by adjustment for symptoms of mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: In a large nationally representative population sample, two types of well-being were distinguished and reliably assessed: hedonic and eudaemonic. Associations with mental well-being were relatively independent of symptoms of mental illness. Mental well-being can remain even in the presence of mental suffering.
Authors: Wai Kai Hou; Huinan Liu; Li Liang; Jeffery Ho; Hyojin Kim; Eunice Seong; George A Bonanno; Stevan E Hobfoll; Brian J Hall Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2019-12-05 Impact factor: 4.839
Authors: Oliver Gruebner; M Mobarak H Khan; Sven Lautenbach; Daniel Müller; Alexander Krämer; Tobia Lakes; Patrick Hostert Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2012-03-09 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Katherine S Button; Daphne Kounali; Lexine Stapinski; Ronald M Rapee; Glyn Lewis; Marcus R Munafò Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-04-08 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Rosemary Hiscock; Pierpaolo Mudu; Matthias Braubach; Marco Martuzzi; Laura Perez; Clive Sabel Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2014-11-28 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Helen McAneney; Mark A Tully; Ruth F Hunter; Anne Kouvonen; Philip Veal; Michael Stevenson; Frank Kee Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2015-12-12 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Rachel Cooper; Mai Stafford; Rebecca Hardy; Avan Aihie Sayer; Yoav Ben-Shlomo; Cyrus Cooper; Leone Craig; Ian J Deary; John Gallacher; Geraldine McNeill; John M Starr; Diana Kuh; Catharine R Gale Journal: Age (Dordr) Date: 2013-07-02