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The Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study of School-Related Outcomes

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Abstract

The Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health, proposed by Greenspoon and Sasklofske (Soc Indic Res 54:81–108, 2001), suggested that student mental health should be assessed on a dimension of psychopathology as well as a dimension of subjective well-being (SWB). Greenspoon and Sasklofske (Soc Indic Res 54:81–108, 2001) argued that measuring both psychopathology and SWB allow mental health professionals to have a more complete understanding of the child’s psychological health. The present exploratory study provided a further evaluation of the usefulness of the Dual-Factor model in understanding adolescents’ SWB using both person-centered and variable-centered analyses. Using person-centered analyses, we explored whether group membership revealed differential changes in middle school students’ GPAs as well as emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement across a 5-month time period. Furthermore, we used variable-centered analyses to examine whether middle school students’ levels of SWB at Time 1 predicted changes in our criterion variables. Specifically, we assessed whether SWB at Time 1 predicted student school engagement and GPA at Time 2 above and beyond their levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors at Time 1, levels of student engagement and grades at Time 1, and demographic variables. Results of the person-centered analyses found statistically significant differences across the four groups identified in the Dual-Factor Model for emotional, cognitive and behavioral engagement as well as GPA. The results from the variable-centered analyses suggest subjective well-being to be a significant predictor of emotional, cognitive and behavioral engagement beyond measures of psychopathology. These results provide additional support for use of the Dual-Factor Model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Michael D. Lyons, E. Scott Huebner & Kimberly J. Hills

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  1. Michael D. Lyons
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  2. E. Scott Huebner
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  3. Kimberly J. Hills
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Correspondence to E. Scott Huebner.

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Lyons, M.D., Huebner, E.S. & Hills, K.J. The Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study of School-Related Outcomes. Soc Indic Res 114, 549–565 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0161-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0161-2

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