What’s the difference between measures of wellbeing, quality of life, resilience, and coping? An umbrella review and concept map of 155 measures of positive mental health

Abstract

The multitude of definitions, models, and measures of positive mental health has hindered academic precision and therefore the ongoing scientific evolution of this important area. This umbrella review aimed to synthesize the theoretical landscape of positive mental health, by reviewing measures that were designed to capture overarching, multi-dimensional concepts of positive and adaptive states of mental health (i.e., wellbeing, quality of life, and resilience/coping), and interrogating their underlying dimensions (e.g., vitality, autonomy) and design features (e.g., response scales, item valence). Our search identified 155 measures of positive mental health with a total of 410 constituent dimensions. Using thematic analysis, we consolidated these 410 original dimensions into a set of 21 themes. These themes were transformed into a concept map to illustrate their inter-relationship with the overarching concepts of positive mental health as identified in this review. Our results point to a lack of consensus on the underlying dimensions and measurement approaches for investigating positive mental health, with singular measures failing to capture its breadth, resulting in an unwieldy situation for ongoing scientific inquiry.

Public significance statement: In the absence of consensus on definitions or models of positive and adaptive states of mental health, an unwieldy, and untenable number of measures have been created - many devoid of a clear conceptual framework. The current review summarizes the measurement landscape of positive mental health and presents a preliminary synthesis of 410 dimensions scientists claim to capture this elusive construct. The current review can help inform future measurement and theory development and further guide researchers toward precise, replicable, durable mental health research.