Table 1 Convergent and Divergent validity measures and hypotheses tested in the study

Positive Mental Health (PMH) instrument

This 47-item multi-dimensional scale measures positive mental health, where scores range from 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating higher positive mental wellbeing. The response scale represents 1- ‘Not at all like me’ to 6- ‘Exactly like me’

SWEMWBS will have moderate to high positive correlation with PMH total score.

Global assessment of functioning (GAF)

The Global Assessment of Functioning scale is a scoring system for the severity of illness in psychiatry which assesses overall functioning, taking into account impairments in psychological, social and occupational/school functioning. The scale ranges from 0 (inadequate information) to 100 (superior functioning).

SWEMWBS will have moderate positive correlation with GAF score.

Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)

This 5-item scale measures global cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one’s life, using a 7-point scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. Scores are summed and higher scores indicate higher satisfaction.

SWEMWBS will have mild to moderate positive correlation with SWLS.

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) -8

This is a self-administered depression scale that adopts a 4-point scale, where 0 = not at all and 3 = nearly everyday and respondents indicate how often they have been bothered by each of the items, in the past 2 weeks. Total scores range from 0 to 27, where scores of 20 and above indicate severe major depressive disorder.

The SWEMWBS will have mild to moderate negative correlation with PHQ-8.

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) -7 scale

In this 7-item anxiety measure respondents are asked in the past 2 weeks how often they have been bothered by the following problems and use a 4-point scale from 0 being ‘not at all sure’ to 3 representing ‘nearly every day’. Scores are summed and higher scores indicate greater anxiety.

The SWEMWBS will have mild to moderate negative correlation with GAD-7.