Rasch Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the Flourishing Model with Masters Athletes: Study from France

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Psychology, Sociology and Evaluation in Sport Field, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt, & CRPCC-LAUREPS, Université de Rennes II and CREAD-IUFM de Bretagne, France.

Abstract

Two competing theories were tested. The single factor model hypothesizes that the measures of mental health and mental illness reflect a single latent factor, support for which would indicate that the absence of mental illness implies the presence of mental health. The two-factor model hypothesizes that the measures of mental illness represent the latent factor of mental health that is distinct from, but correlated with the latent factor of mental illness that is represented by the measures of mental illness. The data strongly supported the two-factor model, which was a nearly perfect fitting model to the American findings (Keyes, 2005).  As predicted, there is a modest association between mental health and mental illness; level of mental health tends to increase as level of mental illness decreases. However, the modest correlation suggests that the latent constructs of mental health and mental illness are distinctive. The evidence indicates that the absence of mental illness does not imply the presence of mental health, and the absence of mental health does not imply the presence of mental illness. Rather, mental health is a complete state that is best studied through the combined assessments of mental health with mental illness. Complete mental health is a state, in which individuals are free of mental illness and they are flourishing. Of course, flourishing may sometimes occur with an episode of mental illness, and moderate mental health and languishing can occur both with and without a mental illness.