Evaluating mental health literacy amongst US college students: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Objective: This study examined levels of mental health literacy amongst US university students, as well as relationships between mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviors, and mental health outcomes. Participants: Three hundred and twenty-six (326) US university students participated in this study online. Methods: Participants filled out questionnaires that assessed their mental health literacy, intentions to seek support, psychological distress, wellbeing, and self-compassion. Results: The mean mental health literacy score was 123.96 (SD = 16.01). Women scored significantly higher than men (p < .01) on mental health literacy. Individuals who had a previous mental disorder diagnosis had significantly higher scores than those with no previous diagnosis (p < .01). A significant positive relationship was found between mental health literacy and self-compassion (p < .01). Conclusions: Our research highlights significant differences between women and men in relation to mental health literacy, psychological distress, and help-seeking behavior. There is a need to design culturally competent interventions that involve diverse students.

Keywords:

• Gender
• health education
• mental health

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of United Kingdom and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of University of Portsmouth.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.