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. 2021 Jul;28(5):1434-1444.
doi: 10.1177/1073191120910247. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

Measuring Positive Mental Health in the Postpartum Period: The Bifactor Structure of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form in Portuguese Women

Fabiana Monteiro  1 , Ana Fonseca  1 , Marco Pereira  1 , Maria Cristina Canavarro  1
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Measuring Positive Mental Health in the Postpartum Period: The Bifactor Structure of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form in Portuguese Women

Fabiana Monteiro et al. Assessment. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factor structure of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) in the postpartum context using a single-factor model, a correlated three-factor model, and a bifactor model. The reliability and validity of the MHC-SF were also examined. The total sample consisted of 882 postpartum Portuguese women. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the bifactor model yielded a significantly better fit to the data than the other models. The unidimensionality strength indices (explained common variance = .76, percentage of uncontaminated correlations = .69) and the ωH values supported the general factor of positive mental health, which accounted for 91.5% of the reliable variance in the total score. Additionally, the MHC-SF showed high reliability (ω = .96), and its total and subscale scores were significantly correlated with other measures related to mental health. The results of this study suggest a strong general factor of positive mental health and support the use of its total score in this context.

Keywords: Mental Health Continuum–Short Form; bifactor model; confirmatory factor analysis; postpartum period; psychometric properties.

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