Assessing key mental health-related lifestyle behaviours and experiences in a single scale: a validation of the Personal Experiences in Everyday Life (PEEL) questionnaire

Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability to mental health problems, with lifestyle habits and negative social experiences representing both risk and resilience factors. Existing tools typically assess a limited range of such habits and experiences. The Personal Experiences in Everyday Life (PEEL) questionnaire is a brief measure of key modifiable lifestyle behaviours and negative social experiences. We examined its psychometric properties and associations with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychological wellbeing. Two community samples, a mid-adolescent (n = 552; mean age = 13.7, SD = 0.5, range 13–14; 48% female) and a late-adolescent sample (n = 383; mean age = 19.0, SD = 1.7, range 16–25; 76% female), were recruited from secondary schools/universities and completed the PEEL, assessing positive (e.g., ‘Sport/exercise’) and risky (e.g., ‘Smoking/vaping) lifestyle behaviours, and negative social experiences (e.g., ‘Being bullied’). We examined the PEEL’s factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and the associations with mental health and wellbeing, including moderation by sex and developmental stage. The RCADS-25 and DASS-21 measured depressive and anxiety symptoms; scores were standardised (z-scores) and pooled. A three-factor solution for the PEEL items was supported across both samples: Positive Activities, Unhealthy Diet, and Risky Activities. For conceptual clarity, Risky Activities were divided into Substance Use and Negative Social Experiences, yielding four internally consistent subscales with good test-retest reliability. All factors were significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and wellbeing; Negative Social Experiences showed the strongest associations with depression and anxiety. Stronger positive associations between Substance Use and anxiety were evident in females, and stronger negative associations between Substance Use and Negative Social Experiences with wellbeing were seen in males. Stronger associations between Negative Social Experiences and depression and anxiety occurred in younger adolescents. Unhealthy Diet was positively associated with wellbeing in younger adolescents but negatively associated in older adolescents. The PEEL is an efficient and valid measure of adolescents’ lifestyle behaviours and negative social experiences. Negative social experiences accounted for much of the observed associations with mental health, highlighting the role of social context alongside lifestyle behaviours. The PEEL may support research seeking to understand or modify lifestyle and social drivers of adolescent mental health.