Assessment of Psychological Well-Being in Psychosomatic Medicine

The measures of disease status alone are insufficient to describe the burden of illness or one’s attitudes toward illness and life. The subjective health status including psychological resources and well-being, is as valid as that of the clinician when it comes to evaluating outcomes. The aim of this chapter is to provide a theoretical framework for the assessment of psychological well-being and positive functioning and to review the literature supporting the influence of these positive dimensions on illness development and health protection. We selected the assessment tools, such as Kellner’s Symptom Questionnaire, Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence, Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Scales and Psychosocial Index, that we found most helpful in clinical and psychosomatic practice and that displayed clinimetric properties of sensitivity in research.