Brief Description

The Adolescent Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess positive mental health in adolescents aged 12 to 18. The Adolescent MHC-SF was adapted from the original MHC-SF for adults. Respondents reflect on their experiences over the past month, indicating how frequently they felt or experienced specific states, such as happiness, interest in life, and a sense of belonging. This measure evaluates three dimensions of well-being: emotional, social, and psychological. The MHC-SF focuses on the presence of positive mental health rather than the absence of mental illness, making it a valuable tool for identifying flourishing, moderate, or languishing mental states in youth populations in the context of prevention and intervention.

Child/Adolescent Self-Report

14

12 to 18 years old

No recommended standard frequency; Blueprint recommends administration as needed based on clinical judgment, such as during initial assessments, periodically throughout treatment, and at the end of therapy to monitor progress.

The Adolescent MHC-SF includes 14 items all rated on a 6-point scale Likert scale with the follow options and corresponding scores:

The MHC-SF assesses three domains of well-being and calculates subscores based on these categories:

The measure categorizes scores as “Flourishing,” “Moderate,” or “Languishing.” Higher scores equate to greater wellbeing.

Flourishing can be understood as having high levels of well-being across all three dimensions. To be categorized as “flourishing,” individuals must experience at least one of the three signs of emotional well–being and at least six of the eleven signs of social and psychological functioning during the past month at a reported rate of “every day” or “almost every day”.

Languishing indicates low levels of well-being, potentially signaling emotional distress or risk for mental health challenges. Individuals who exhibit low levels (i.e., reporting “never” or “once or twice” during the past month) on at least one measure of emotional well–being and low levels (i.e., reporting “never” or “once or twice” during the past month) on at least six measures of social and psychological functioning are categorized as “languishing.”

Individuals who are categorized as neither flourishing nor languishing are categorized as "moderately mentally healthy.” A categorization of moderate mental health indicates some positive mental health experiences but not consistently across all domains.

The MHC-SF serves as a tool for tracking changes in well-being over time, allowing clinicians to monitor treatment progress and adjust interventions accordingly. Clinicians are advised to use the MHC-SF as a means to observe trends and patterns in an individual's responses across multiple administrations. Changes in scores can indicate improvements or deteriorations, informing clinical decision-making.

Blueprint provides total scores for each of the three subscales. Given scoring limitations, Blueprint cannot produce the classifications of flourishing, moderate, or languishing; clinicians can determine which category their client is aligned with by reviewing their selected response option and the guide above.

Keyes, C. L. M. (2009). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. In B. F. Gentile & B. O. Miller (Eds.), Foundations of psychological thought: A history of psychology (pp. 601–617). Sage.

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