Measuring the mental health status of the Norwegian population: A comparison of the instruments SCL-25, SCL-10, SCL-5 and MHI-5 (SF-36)

A great number of questionnaires and instruments have been developed in order to measure psychological distress/mental health problems in populations. The Survey of Level of Living in 1998 conducted by Statistics Norway used both Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-25) and the Short Form 36 (SF-36), including the five-item mental health index (MHI-5). Five-item and 10-item versions of the SCL-25 have also been used in Norwegian surveys. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the various instruments, and to assess and to compare psychometric characteristics. A random sample of 9735 subjects over 15 years of age drawn from the Norwegian population received a questionnaire about their…