The bidirectional relation between positive mental health and psychopathology in a longitudinal representative panel study
By Sanne M. A. Lamers, Gerben J. Westerhof, Cees A. W. Glas, Ernst T. Bohlmeijer. 2015
201 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Background: There is accumulating evidence that positive mental health and psychopathology should be seen as separate indicators of mental health. This study contributes to this evidence by investigating the bidirectional relation between positive mental health and psychopathological symptoms over time. Methods: Positive mental health (MHC-SF) and psychopathological symptoms (BSI) were longitudinally measured in a representative adult sample (N = 1932) on four measurement occasions in nine months. A cross-lagged panel design was applied and evaluated with a latent growth model combined with an item response theory measurement model. Results: Psychopathological symptoms were longitudinally related to positive mental health and vice versa, controlling for initial levels. The changes over time were even more important than the absolute levels of psychopathological symptoms and positive mental health, respectively. Conclusions: The results underline the need for a comprehensive perspective on mental health, incorporating both the treatment of symptoms and the enhancement of well-being.
Subfields: Applied Psychology, General Health Professions, Social Psychology
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/5b992263a0764b41c057018222350d0ae98e0841
How researchers see this paper
The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.
In Applied Psychology
- L. Jans-Beken
- Sanne C. T. Peeters
- Nele Jacobs
- Paul Gilbert
- Johan Lataster
- M. Janssens
- J. Reijnders
- Lilian Lechner
In General Health Professions
- E. Muir‐Cochrane
- L. Jans-Beken
- Sanne C. T. Peeters
- Nele Jacobs
- Paul Gilbert
- Johan Lataster
- M. Iasiello
- M. Janssens
In Social Psychology
- M. Matos
- José Pinto-Gouveia
- C. Duarte
- Paul Gilbert
- Joana Duarte
- Jaskaran Basran
- Laura Ceresatto
- E. Muir‐Cochrane
Citations in the corpus
- Gratitude and health: An updated review (2019, background): “Given the interrelatedness of both continua of mental health (Lamers et al., 2015), cultivating a sense of gratitude may thus indirectly decrease psychopathology through increasing levels of mental well-being.”
- The development of compassionate engagement and action scales for self and others (2017, background): “Studies of positive and negative affect [117] and studies of ‘ flourishing ’ [76] have also indicated that positive affect and well-being, in contrast to negative affect and psychopathology need to be studied separately and that flourishing is not just the absence of pathology.”
- Mental Health and/or Mental Illness: A Scoping Review of the Evidence and Implications of the Dual-Continua Model of Mental Health (2020, background): “Grant et al. (2013) and Lamers et al. (2015) supported these findings, finding that low levels of positive mental health predicted risk of higher depressive symptoms within one year.”