Mental Health of Iranian College Students in a Nationally Representative Sample of over 74,500 Individuals: Scale Development and Standardization

This study sought to develop the College Mental Health Scale (CMHS) as a screening instrument among Iranian college students. In total, the nationally representative sample (N = 74,571) was selected to match the Iranian college student population throughout the country. In the first study, a conceptual framework was developed and a pool of items based on the most prevalent mental disorders in Iranian college students were devised. In the second study, psychometric properties of CMHS was examined (n = 600). The third study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase (n = 2,750), explanatory factor analysis was used for reaching a better factor structure and in the second phase (n = 2,750) the invariability of factor structure and correlation of CMHS with related measure was examined. The result revealed a 56-item measurement scale consisting of seven dimensions as the most prevalent mental disorders. In the fourth study (n = 68,471), male and female norms were developed. The CMHS has adequate reliability and validity and can be used for assessment of college students’ mental health problems in Iran.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of College Student Psychotherapy on 25 May 2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2021.1911527