Abstract
Objective: Although the recently developed mental health literacy scale showed significant score differences between general population and mental health professionals, to this date there is no published scale intended to specifically assess mental health literacy (MHL) in healthcare students. This study constructed a 26-item scale-based measure to assess multiple components of MHL and associated psychometric properties in a sample of medical and public health students of 11 universities in Taiwan. Methods: The development and validation of the scale comprised three phases: measure development, pilot testing (n = 32), and psychometric properties examination (n = 1294). Results: 26 items were generated for five factors: maintenance of positive mental health, recognition of mental illness, attitude to mental illness stigma, help-seeking efficacy, and help-seeking attitude. The scale demonstrated good content validity, internal consistency, and construct validity (factorial validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and known groups validity). Conclusions: The findings suggest that the Mental Health Literacy Scale for Healthcare Students (MHLS-HS) is a valid, reliable, and practical tool for identifying MHL gaps in medical and public health students. It has the potential to inform remedial curricular interventions for educators and evaluate intervention effectiveness.
Highlights
The construct of mental health literacy (MHL) is still an evolving concept [1]
The scale appropriately captures the multidimensionality of Mental Health Literacy Scale for Healthcare Students (MHLS-HS), with the analyses confirming the appropriateness of the five-factor structure
In addition to the factors listed in a recent definition of MHL [1], the MHLS-HS included the concept of a help-seeking attitude, which is a strong determinant of help-seeking behavior [10,11,12]
Summary
The construct of mental health literacy (MHL) is still an evolving concept [1]. It originated from the concept of health literacy and was first introduced by Jorm and colleagues, who described it as “knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention” [2]. A more recent definition has extended the previous definitions of MHL [3] to include four distinct but related components: (1) understanding how to obtain and maintain good mental health, (2) understanding mental disorders and their treatments, (3) reducing the stigma related to mental disorders, and (4) enhancing help-seeking efficacy (i.e., knowing when and where to obtain evidence-based mental health care and having the competencies to enhance self-care) [4,5,6]. Public Health 2020, 17, 948; doi:10.3390/ijerph17030948 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
