Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the LA-Mental Health Scale in working adults

Introduction Mental health is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of both individual well-being and organizational productivity. However, existing assessment tools in Latin American workplace contexts often lack an integrated approach that captures both psychological distress and positive functioning. Methods This study describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Latin American Mental Health Scale (LA-MHS), a 30-item multidimensional instrument assessing Anxiety, Stress, Subjective Well-being, and Sleep Problems in working adults. A non-probabilistic sample of 308 workers from multiple Latin American countries completed the scale online. The internal structure was evaluated through theory-driven and data-driven phases, consistent with recommended practices for scale validation. Results In the theory-driven phase, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; WLSMV estimator) supported a four-factor correlated structure with acceptable fit, χ 2 (395) = 1025.76, p 0.001, CFI = 0.933, TLI = 0.926, RMSEA = 0.072, SRMR = 0.062. Internal consistency was excellent for Anxiety and Stress (α = 0.91, ω = 0.93 for both), acceptable for Well-being (α = 0.74, ω = 0.84), and below recommended thresholds for Sleep Problems (α = 0.68, ω = 0.69). A preliminary brief version (LA-MHS-12) was derived, showing acceptable fit in the same sample, although results should be interpreted cautiously due to potential overfitting. In the data-driven phase, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in a training subsample identified a three-factor structure (Anxiety, Stress including sleep problems, and Well-being), which was subsequently supported in an independent testing subsample (CFA: CFI = 0.927, TLI = 0.920, RMSEA = 0.083, SRMR = 0.078). Reliability estimates were excellent for Anxiety (α = 0.91, ω = 0.93) and Stress including sleep problems (α = 0.91, ω = 0.93) and good for Well-being (α = 0.80, ω = 0.81). Competing models (higher-order and bifactor) were also examined but did not provide clear advantages in terms of interpretability. Discussion Overall, the LA-MHS demonstrates promising initial psychometric properties, particularly for anxiety and stress. However, further refinement of the well-being and sleep dimensions and additional validation in independent samples are required.