MRC / CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Centre for Health Policy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2023 Sep;28(3):385-392. doi: 10.1111/camh.12608. Epub 2022 Nov 14.
The majority of long-term mental health problems begin during adolescence. Low mental health literacy (MHL) may impede help-seeking for these problems. Although MHL is a multidimensional construct and adolescent help-seeking can be through formal and informal means, little is known about how dimensions of MHL influence these help-seeking intentions. This study examines associations between dimensions of MHL and formal and informal help-seeking intentions among adolescents. It also investigates whether informal help-seeking mediates the association between dimensions of MHL and formal help-seeking, and whether these associations are moderated by gender.
A cross-sectional survey including measures of MHL, and help-seeking intentions was distributed to participants in 10 schools (12-17 years) across Scotland (n = 734). Data were analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).
Confirmatory Factor Analyses identified two distinct dimensions of MHL: ability to identify a mental health problem, and knowledge of treatment efficacy. Only knowledge of treatment efficacy was associated with increased intention to seek formal and informal help. Ability to identify a mental health problem was negatively associated with both forms of help-seeking intentions. Informal help-seeking mediated the association between both forms of MHL and formal help-seeking. Gender did not moderate the associations between MHL and help-seeking.
Care should be taken when providing MHL interventions to ensure that adaptive forms of MHL are promoted. Future research should investigate possible mechanisms by which discrete forms of MHL influence adolescent help-seeking as well as investigating other potential moderators of MHL and help-seeking, such as stigma.
大多数长期心理健康问题始于青少年时期。心理健康素养（MHL）较低可能会阻碍对这些问题的寻求帮助。尽管 MHL 是一个多维结构，青少年可以通过正式和非正式途径寻求帮助，但对于 MHL 的各个维度如何影响这些寻求帮助的意图知之甚少。本研究考察了 MHL 的各个维度与青少年正式和非正式寻求帮助的意图之间的关联。它还调查了非正式寻求帮助是否在 MHL 的各个维度与正式寻求帮助之间起中介作用，以及这些关联是否受到性别调节。
一项横断面调查包括 MHL 测量和寻求帮助的意图，在苏格兰的 10 所学校（12-17 岁）中对参与者进行了调查（n=734）。使用验证性因素分析（CFA）和结构方程建模（SEM）对数据进行分析。
验证性因素分析确定了 MHL 的两个不同维度：识别心理健康问题的能力和治疗效果的知识。只有治疗效果的知识与寻求正式和非正式帮助的意愿增加有关。识别心理健康问题的能力与两种形式的寻求帮助的意图均呈负相关。非正式寻求帮助在 MHL 和正式寻求帮助之间起中介作用。性别并没有调节 MHL 和寻求帮助之间的关联。
在提供 MHL 干预措施时应谨慎行事，以确保促进适应性的 MHL。未来的研究应调查不同形式的 MHL 影响青少年寻求帮助的可能机制，以及调查 MHL 和寻求帮助的其他潜在调节因素，如耻辱感。
