Validation of the Persian version of the Positive Mental Health Scale

Background Positive mental health (PMH) is a factor of far-reaching salutogenetic importance. The present study aimed at validating the Persian version of the Positive Mental Health Scale (PMH-Scale). Methods Reliability and validity of the Persian version of the PMH-Scale were established in an Iranian student sample (N = 573). Internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity were investigated, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Furthermore, it was assessed how PMH scores moderate the association between depressive symptoms and suicide ideation/behavior. Results The Persian version of the PMH-Scale was shown to have a unidimensional structure with excellent internal consistency, as well as good convergent and divergent validity. PMH differentiated between participants with higher vs. lower suicide risk. Furthermore, PMH proved to moderate the association between depressive symptoms and suicide ideation/behavior. Conclusions The results suggest that the PMH-Scale is a brief, reliable, and valid measure of subjective and psychological well-being that can be used in Iranian student samples and research settings.