Mental health is a complex construct that encompasses an individual’s psychological and emotional wellbeing. Mental health can be affected by biological factors (e.g., brain chemistry, personality traits) and life experiences (e.g., trauma or abuse) and influences our ability to function and experience happiness and satisfaction in life (Australian Government, Department of Health, 2009).

Emotional wellbeing is more than the absence of mental illness (WHO, 2016), it relates to how an individual perceives their own situation and experiences. While individual characteristics contribute to emotional wellbeing, the environment, experiences, behaviours, and interactions with family and the community can also affect it (AIHW, 2016). Emotional wellbeing has wide-ranging consequences on quality of life, and is important at every life stage, from childhood to old age (WHO, 2016). Psychological flexibility is arguably the most fundamental aspect of emotional wellbeing.