Psychometric Properties of the Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory–2 With Older Adults: Implications for Mental Health Counseling

Abstract

Older adults represent the fastest-growing demographic in the United States and are increasingly vulnerable to co-occurring physical and mental health concerns. As this population grows, mental health counselors need brief screening tools with valid scores to support early identification of wellness issues. Despite this need, the literature is lacking a brief wellness-screening tool with scores validated among older adults. We examined the validity of the Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory–2 (LPHCI-2) among a national sample of U.S. older adults (N = 375). Confirmatory factor analyses supported acceptable-to-strong internal structure validity, with a bifactor model showing the best fit. LPHCI-2 scores demonstrated strong reliability and convergent validity. Results provide initial evidence that LPHCI-2 scores can be validly and reliably interpreted with older adults. Implications include the LPHCI-2’s utility as a brief screening tool that mental health counselors can integrate into wellness screening, along with recommendations for longitudinal and subgroup-specific research.