Editorial: Measurement in Health Psychology

Victor Zaia^1*Giulia Casu²Antonio de Padua Serafim³Paola Gremigni²

• ¹Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, Santo André, Brazil
• ²Universita degli Studi di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
• ³Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

critical role in elucidating the determinants and consequences that shape both physical and mental health.It is in this context that, and three years after the publication of the inaugural issue of Measurement in Health Psychology (Casu et al., 2022), that we are pleased to introduce the second volume of this Research Topic, reflecting its significant scientific impact and the sustained demand for methodological innovation. This initiative underscores the persistent need for methodological advancement in a field of psychology that is fundamentally grounded in empirical evidence. Health Psychology equires assessment tools that are not only psychometrically robust -exhibiting strong validity, reliability, and sensitivity -but also conceptually rigorous and contextually relevant.Within this framework, the Research Topic Measurement in Health Psychology II was conceived to provide an updated and integrative overview of contemporary approaches to psychological measurement in health-related domains. This second volume brings together contributions that advance theoretical frameworks, refine measurement techniques, and address emerging challenges in the development and validation of psychological instruments. These contributions are relevant across both research and applied settings. Our aim is to foster the production of reliable, valid, and actionable data in Health Psychology, with meaningful implications for scientific research, clinical practice, and health policy formulation. This Research Topic comprises 15 peer-reviewed articles authored by 66 scholars from diverse countries and regions. The included studies focus on the development, validation, and refinement of self-report instruments designed to assess psychological, behavioral, and socioenvironmental factors that influence health trajectories and the course of illness. 2025) compared the EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L in patients with knee osteoarthritis following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Their findings demonstrated the superior validity, reliability, and discriminant ability of the EQ-5D-5L, supporting its use for a more precise and reliable assessment of quality of life one year post-surgery in this population. 2025) evaluated the Developmental monitoring and screening method for the 11th check-up in primary care (S-PMV11). This is a screening tool designed for monitoring the developmental difficulties based on parental assessment in primary pediatric care in Slovakia. Using Rasch modeling and Guttman scaling, the study confirmed unidimensionality and strong scalability, highlighting the tool's utility for early detection of developmental problems in pediatric care. (SSAS-C), which measures the tendency to perceive somatic sensations as unusually intense and alarming. The one-factor model showed good fit, and the SSAS-C was found to mediate the relationship between alexithymia and somatization, underscoring its relevance in psychosomatic assessment. Three studies in this Research Topic explored individual traits and psychological mechanisms that shape responses to adversity, meaning-making processes, and the management of relational and emotional demands. These contributions underscore the relevance of assessing dispositional and coping-related dimensions within the framework of Health Psychology. This second volume of Measurement in Health Psychology presents a diverse array of contributions that reflect the field's increasing methodological sophistication and conceptual maturity. Collectively, the studies emphasize the pivotal role of measurement in advancing both theoretical insight and clinical application within Health Psychology. Across domains including clinical assessment, psychological well-being, and coping mechanisms, researchers introduced and validated psychometric tools that are not only psychometrically robust but also culturally attuned and contextually appropriate.A hallmark of this Research Topic is its consistent methodological rigor. The majority of studies employed Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), with several also utilizing Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Rasch modeling. Tests for measurement invariance across gender, age, and dyadic relationships were frequently reported, reinforcing the generalizability and robustness of the proposed instruments. Notably, many contributions also focused on the development of brief yet psychometrically sound tools, addressing the growing demand for time-efficient assessments in both clinical and research settings.In total, the 15 instruments presented in this volume expand the repertoire of tools available for assessing psychological constructs central to understanding health, illness, and adaptation. These tools offer practical solutions for measuring mental health outcomes, behavioral patterns, emotional resilience, and socio-environmental stressors, thereby contributing to a more precise and evidence-based approach in Health Psychology research and practice, in addition to relevant social impact. This Research Topic does not intend to exhaust the field of measurement in Health Psychology. Rather, it represents a meaningful step forward -one that we hope will inspire continued collaborative efforts to refine, validate, and disseminate assessment tools that can support the development of more effective, evidence-informed interventions and policies.