Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Well-Being Scale

Abstract

The Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Well-Being Scale (MPS Well-being Scale) is a comprehensive, self-report instrument designed to assess an individual’s holistic sense of Well-being across three distinct and interdependent dimensions. Developed primarily by Vella-Brodrick and Allen in the mid-1990s, the scale integrates measures of cognitive engagement, somatic health indicators, and spiritual coping mechanisms and beliefs. By adopting a multidimensional framework, the MPS scale allows for a detailed analysis of subjective quality of life, recognizing that health is derived from the interaction between mental acuity, physical health status, and spiritual fulfillment.

This instrument is valuable for researchers and clinical practitioners seeking a nuanced understanding of client strengths and deficits, moving beyond simple measures of distress to evaluate positive functioning across these crucial domains.

Keywords

Well-being, Mental Health, Physical Health, Spiritual Health, Quality of Life, Psychometrics, Assessment, Multidimensional Scale, Self-Report, Holistic Health.

Authors

Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick, Felicity C. Allen, V. White, D.L. Green.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the MPS Well-being Scale is to provide a robust and psychometrically sound measure capable of quantifying Well-being as a complex, multifaceted phenomenon. It was created to address the limitations of earlier psychological scales that tended to focus exclusively on negative symptoms or only one aspect of health (e.g., only physical illness or only mental distress), thereby overlooking the integrative nature of human experience.

The scale allows for the detailed evaluation of an individual’s engagement in positive behaviors (such as intellectual pursuits and spiritual practices) and the monitoring of negative somatic indicators. This detailed data is crucial for developing targeted interventions, tracking therapeutic progress, and conducting research on the determinants of overall life satisfaction and health maintenance.

Construct

The MPS Well-being Scale is theorized to measure a tripartite Psychological Construct comprising Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Well-being. The 30 items are divided among these three subscales, each representing a core component of human flourishing:

• Mental Well-being: This dimension assesses the individual’s cognitive activity, intellectual curiosity, and capacity for thoughtful reflection. Items relate to engaging in mental stimulation (e.g., games, quizzes), reading, collecting information before making judgments, and serious self-analysis of moral behavior.
• Physical Well-being: This dimension focuses on somatic health indicators and the absence of common physical complaints. Items cover symptoms such as headaches, nausea, indigestion, lethargy, sleep quality, and general aches and pains, as well as proactive health behaviors like dieting.
• Spiritual Well-being: This dimension measures the extent to which an individual engages in spiritual or existential practices, seeks inner peace, reflects on the purpose of life, and utilizes spiritual resources (e.g., prayer, meditation, church attendance) when coping with difficult times.

Validity

Initial validation studies conducted by Vella-Brodrick and Allen (1995) provided evidence supporting the construct validity of the MPS Well-being Scale. These studies demonstrated that the instrument’s items loaded appropriately onto the three intended subscales, confirming that Mental, Physical, and Spiritual dimensions are empirically distinct yet theoretically related components of overall well-being.

Further research has addressed methodological concerns, particularly the potential impact of response bias. Vella-Brodrick and White (1997) specifically investigated the relationship between the MPS scale scores and Social Desirability. Their findings contributed to the understanding of the scale’s robustness, suggesting that while social desirability may influence self-report measures, the MPS scale retains acceptable validity in measuring the core constructs.

Reliability

The reliability of the MPS Well-Being Scale is supported by evidence of strong internal consistency, particularly within its three core subscales. The original psychometric validation (Vella-Brodrick & Allen, 1995) established that the items within each dimension are highly correlated with their respective subscale total scores, indicating that the scale consistently measures the intended latent constructs.

High internal consistency ensures that the scale provides a stable and dependable measure of an individual’s status in the mental, physical, and spiritual domains at a given point in time. Although not explicitly detailed in the source, typically, adequate test-retest reliability would also be established to ensure score stability over short periods when no genuine change in status is expected.

Factor Analysis

The underlying structure of the MPS Well-being Scale has been a subject of specific inquiry using Factor Analysis. The initial design was predicated on a clear three-factor model corresponding to the Mental, Physical, and Spiritual components.

A notable investigation by Green (2006) examined the factor structure to confirm the scale’s dimensionality. These studies are essential for confirming that the theoretical components of the scale are empirically supported by the way respondents answer the items. While minor variations in item clustering can occur across different populations, the overall evidence reinforces the utility of the three distinct, yet interrelated, factors in assessing holistic health.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report quantitative psychological scale.

Format: 30 items primarily utilizing a 5-point Likert-type frequency scale, typically ranging from (1) Often to (5) Never. Item 18 utilizes a unique duration scale (1 “I have not”‚ 3 “<5yrs”‚ 5 “>10yrs”). Several items are reverse scored to mitigate acquiescence bias.

Language Available: English (Original development).

Population Group: General adult population; suitable for use in health, counseling, and social work research settings.

Age Group: Adults (typically 18 years and older).

Population Details: Developed and validated using community and university samples, primarily in Australia.

Test Methodology: The scale is usually administered via self-completion. Scoring involves summing the responses for each subscale after reversing the scores for marked items (*). Higher scores generally indicate higher levels of Well-being across the respective dimensions.

Keywords

Health Assessment, Spiritual Coping, Cognitive Functioning, Somatic Symptoms, Social Desirability, Monash University, MPS Scale, Factor Analysis.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially developed as part of a Master’s thesis in 1994 (Vella-Brodrick) and formally published in 1995 (Vella-Brodrick & Allen). The scale was later reproduced in Simmons and Lehmann’s 2013 text, “Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation,” published by Springer.

Researchers interested in commercial use or specific permissions should contact the original authors or the publisher. The original PDF containing the instrument can be downloaded here: http://lghttp.48653.nexcesscdn.net/80223CF/springer-static/media/springer-downloads/Simmons_PTR_Ancillary.pdf

Reference’s

• Vella-Brodrick D. A. (1994). The development of the MPS Well-being Scale. Unpublished ma‎ster’s thesis, Monash Univer., Caulfield, Australia.
• Vella-Brodrick, D. A., & Allen, F. (1995). Development and psychometric validation of the Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Psychological Reports, 77(2), 659–674.
• Vella-Brodrick, D. A., & White, V. (1997). Response Set of Social Desirability in Relation to the Mental, Physical and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Psychological Reports, 81(1), 127-130.
• Green, D.L. (2006). Investigation of the factor structure of the mental, physical Well-Being Scale. Advances in Social Work, 7(2), 34-43.
• Vella-Brodrick, Dianne A., and Allen, Felicity C. (1995). Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Well-Being Scale. In: Simmons C. A., Lehmann P. (eds). Tools for strengths-based assessment and evaluation, New York, NY: Springer, pp. 62-65. (2013). Google Scholar.

Items of the Mental‚ Physical‚ and Spiritual Well-Being Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. During difficult times do you reach out for spiritual help (e.g.‚ God or a higher being‚ church or place of worship‚ prayer‚ priest‚ etc.)?

2. Do you watch quiz programs?

3. Do you read novels?*

4. Do you engage in thoughtful discussions about ethical or moral issues?

5. Over recent months have you been lethargic or tired?

6. Do you read or study about religion or spiritual issues?

7. Do you collect as much information as possible on a subject before making judgments on it?*

8. In the past year‚ have you suffered nausea and/or vomiting?*

9. Do you engage in games that are designed for mental stimulation (e.g.‚ bridge‚ crosswords‚ chess‚ etc.)?

10. In the past year‚ have you had stomachaches and/or indigestion?

11. Do you engage in serious self-analysis of your behavior for the purpose of improving your moral behavior?*

12. Over the past year‚ have you suffered headaches?*

13. Do you visit places of culture‚ art‚ or creativity (e.g.‚ museum‚ art gallery‚ theatre‚ etc.)?

14. When you gain insights into life from which others could learn‚ how often do you share them with people close to you?*

15. Over the past year‚ have you been constipated?*

16. Do you believe in life after death?*

17. Over the past year‚ have you written for pleasure (e.g.‚ letters‚ stories‚ poems‚ etc.)?*

18. How long have you been making use of an activity for obtaining inner peace (e.g.‚ meditation‚ yoga‚ prayer‚ etc.)? 1 “I have not”‚ 3 “<5yrs”‚ 5 “>10yrs”

19. Over the past year‚ have you taken steps to improve your environment (e.g.‚ made your home or office pleasing‚ provided yourself with more objects of beauty‚ etc.)?

20. Over the past year‚ have you gone on a diet to lose or gain weight?

21. In recent months‚ do you wake up fresh and rested most mornings?*

22. Do you discuss matters of the spirit (e.g.‚ purpose in life‚ religion‚ inner peace‚ death‚ etc.)?*

23. Do you think before you act?*

24. Over the past year‚ have you tried to enhance your personal or spiritual development (e.g.‚ meditation‚ yoga‚ praying‚ etc.)?

25. Are your hands and feet warm enough‚ generally?*

26. Do you watch‚ read‚ or listen to the news?

27. Do you watch documentaries?*

28. Do you suffer diarrhea at least once a month?*

29. Over the past year‚ have you experienced aches and pains?

30. Do you make use of meditation and/or prayer for the purpose of gaining inner peace?

* Reverse Scored

(1) Often‚ (5) Never