Mental Health Profiles in Clinical and Non-clinical Samples in Light of the Maintainable Positive Mental Health Theory: Protocol Paper

Abstract

Clinical psychology has invested a lot of energy in the thorough examination of the characteristics of mental disorders, but less in the implication of the accessible mental health capacities in the recovery phase. Our aim in the present study is to verify the two-continuum mental health model in clinical and non-clinical samples in the light of the Maintainable Positive Mental Health Theory. A further aim is to investigate the interrelationship between positive mental health and mental disorder by examining various groups of mental disorders with different levels of severity. We also examine the prevalence of the diagnostic categories of the Complete Mental Health Model. Furthermore, we aim to identify mental health profiles and their correlates. In the present paper, we introduce the protocol for the ongoing research. A cross-sectional, case-control design is employed to investigate the two-continuum model of mental health. The clinical sample (n = 400) is recruited from four Hungarian hospitals. The non-clinical sample (n = 400) is collected using an online self-report survey-based research design. The two-continuum model of mental health will be tested using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, with the symptoms of mental disorders and mental health as outcome variables. We will then separate groups of mental disorders according to the leading symptoms. Analysis of variance will be used to examine mental health as the dependent variable at a certain severity level in different mental disorder groups. Analysis of covariance will be used to identify the effect of different sociodemographic indicators.The prevalence of the diagnostic categories of the Complete Mental Health Model will be calculated and compared using chi-square tests. Finally, mental health profiles will be identified using latent profile analysis. Our study draws attention to the fact that "optimal human functioning" can be understood in ways that includes, and not excludes, people living with mental disorder.

Keywords: Maintainable PositiveMental Health Theory; mental disorder; mental health; mental health test; positive clinical psychology; positive psychology; psychological assessment.