Mental Health Inventory – MHI
A self-report instrument designed to assess various aspects of mental health across six dimensions: positive self-evaluation, perception of reality, integration of personality, autonomy, group-oriented attitudes, and environmental mastery.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Mental Health Inventory – MHI was developed by Jagadish & Srivastava (1983). It is designed to measure Mental Health. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 54 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Positive Self-Evaluation, Perception of Reality, Integration of Personality, Autonomy, Group-Oriented Attitudes, Environmental Mastery.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Self-Evaluation | 1,6,14,16,21,23,29,30,31,43,48,49 | 12 |
| Perception of Reality | 12,22,33,44,45 | 5 |
| Integration of Personality | 2,7,13,26,28,34,35,38,47,50,51 | 11 |
| Autonomy | 3,8,25,27,36,39,46,52 | 8 |
| Group-Oriented Attitudes | 4,9,17,18,19,24,37,41,53 | 9 |
| Environmental Mastery | 5,10,11,15,20,32,40,42,54 | 9 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Most of the time, 4 = Always.
The scale includes 30 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 54 to 216. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Mental Health: 54 – 108
- Moderate Mental Health: 109 – 162
- High Mental Health: 163 – 216
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Positive self-evaluation (.75), Perception of reality (.71), Integration of personality (.72), Autonomy (.72), Group-oriented attitudes (.74), Environmental mastery (.73).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.