Abstract
Mental health literacy (MHL) is considered a prerequisite for early recognition and intervention in mental disorders, and for this reason, it has become a focus of research over the past few decades. Assessing this construct is relevant for identifying knowledge gaps and erroneous beliefs concerning mental health issues, to inform the development of interventions aimed at promoting mental health literacy as well as the evaluation of these interventions. Recently, we developed a new self-reporting measure (MHLq) for assessing mental health literacy in young people (12–14 years-old), meeting the need to assess MHL from a comprehensive perspective of the construct instead of focusing on a restricted number of mental disorders or specific dimensions (e.g., knowledge concerning specific disorders; stigma). The present study aimed to adapt the MHLq for the young adult population and to examine its psychometric properties, according to the following steps: (1) item adaptation, using a think aloud procedure (n = 5); (2) data collection (n = 356, aged between 18 and 25 years old; and (3) psychometric analyses (exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency analysis). The final version of the questionnaire included 29 items (total scale α = 0.84), organized by four dimensions: (1) knowledge of mental health problems (α = 0.74); (2) erroneous beliefs/stereotypes (α = 0.72); (3) help-seeking and first aid skills (α = 0.71); and (4) self-help strategies (α = 0.60). The results suggest that the MHLq-adult form is a practical, valid, and reliable screening tool for identifying gaps in knowledge, beliefs, and behavioral intentions related to mental health and mental disorders, planning promotion programs, and evaluating intervention effectiveness.
Highlights
Mental health literacy, a concept introduced by Jorm and colleagues [1], was first defined as “knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention”(p. 182)
Based on the team’s revision and the think-aloud procedure, 15 items were rephrased, two items were removed from the questionnaire because their content was redundant when compared to another item, and two items were added to the young adult form, replacing one item in the original form
The final factor structure included: (1) items related to knowledge of mental health problems; (2) items related to erroneous beliefs/stereotypes; (3) items related to first aid skills and help seeking behavior; and (4) items related to self-help strategies
Summary
A concept introduced by Jorm and colleagues [1], was first defined as “knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention”(p. 182). A concept introduced by Jorm and colleagues [1], was first defined as “knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention”. A recent update on this concept included the ability to provide support to someone presenting with a mental health problem, that is, first aid skills [2]. Mental health literacy is not limited to having knowledge as knowledge is linked to beliefs that together determine attitudes (e.g., resistance to seek professional help). The assessment of knowledge and beliefs related to mental health problems allows for the identification of stigma associated to those problems, which is considered to be one of the main barriers. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1318; doi:10.3390/ijerph15071318 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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