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The following is a summary of “Positive mental wellbeing or symptoms of depression? Discriminant validity of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale,” published in the May 2025 issue of BMC Psychiatry by Aarø et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the discriminant validity of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) in comparison with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).  

They analyzed baseline data (n = 1,690) from the evaluation of ‘Prompt Mental Health Care’ (PMHC), the Norwegian version of the British ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ (IAPT) services and PMHC offered low-threshold treatment for mild to moderate depression or anxiety, 3 out of 4 participants were women, and 3 out of 4 were aged 21–50 years. Structural equation modeling and latent variable modeling were performed. Bifactor analysis and Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) models were applied. Both the (7-item) and (14-item) versions of the WEMWBS were evaluated.  

The results showed strong, negative correlations between the PHQ-9 and the WEMWBS scales, approaching –0.80 in latent model analyses with the full (14 items) WEMWBS scale. Psychometric indices from bifactor models indicated that the WEMWBS-7 and PHQ-9 jointly, and the WEMWBS-14 and PHQ-9 jointly, were essentially unidimensional. Associations between PHQ-9 scores and demographic variables mirrored those between WEMWBS scores and the same variables, with reversed signs. Associations between residual WEMWBS scores and demographic variables declined markedly after removing the reliable variance accounted for by the general depressive symptoms factor.  

Investigators concluded that the WEMWBS potentially lacked discriminant validity with the PHQ-9 in a sample of primary care patients experiencing mild-to-moderate anxiety and/or depression. 

Source:bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-025-06922-0