Goda Amal M I, Elhamid Salwa A Abd, Wassif Ghada O
Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2025 Apr 28;100(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s42506-025-00184-0.
Mental health awareness has the potential to contribute to the prompt identification and effective management of mental disorders. The negative perception connected to mental conditions presents a significant challenge for individuals seeking mental health services and the professionals providing them. This study aims to compare mental health literacy-encompassing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors-between adults and adolescents attending Ain Shams University Hospitals' outpatient clinics and identify the socio-demographic factors that could predict these components.
The present survey was carried out during the years 2022-2023 on 369 individuals, who were 11 years or older. An Arabic questionnaire, validated and tested for reliability, was employed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to mental disorders. The tools consisted of three validated scales: the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), the Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI), and the Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS).
Adults demonstrated significantly higher knowledge scores (46.33 ± 4.69 vs. 43.16 ± 4.92, p ≤ 0.01) and behavior scores (16.66 ± 3.56 vs. 15.53 ± 3.71, p ≤ 0.01), while adolescents exhibited more favorable attitudes (99.03 ± 17.43 vs. 90.74 ± 11.78, p ≤ 0.01). Higher knowledge was associated with being female, having a university education, living in urban areas, and being employed. Favorable attitudes were linked to adolescents, males, rural residents, and lower educational levels. At the same time, positive behaviors were associated with being female, having a university education, living in urban areas, being employed, and knowing someone with a mental illness. Regression analysis highlighted education and urban residence as consistent predictors across all mental health literacy components, with employment and familiarity with mental illness further enhancing behavior scores.
This study highlights significant differences in mental health literacy between adults and adolescents, with adults exhibiting higher knowledge and behavior scores and adolescents demonstrating more favorable attitudes. Socio-demographic factors, particularly education, urban residence, and employment, emerged as consistent predictors influencing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions, such as incorporating mental health education into curricula, launching stigma-reduction campaigns, and improving access to mental health services, particularly in rural areas.
心理健康意识有助于及时识别和有效管理精神障碍。与精神疾病相关的负面认知给寻求心理健康服务的个人和提供此类服务的专业人员带来了重大挑战。本研究旨在比较艾因夏姆斯大学医院门诊就诊的成年人和青少年在心理健康素养（包括知识、态度和行为）方面的差异，并确定能够预测这些组成部分的社会人口学因素。
本次调查于2022年至2023年期间对369名11岁及以上的个体进行。采用经过验证和可靠性测试的阿拉伯语问卷来评估与精神障碍相关的知识、态度和行为。这些工具包括三个经过验证的量表：心理健康知识量表（MAKS）、社区对精神疾病的态度量表（CAMI）和报告与预期行为量表（RIBS）。
成年人的知识得分（46.33±4.69 vs. 43.16±4.92，p≤0.01）和行为得分（16.66±3.56 vs. 15.53±3.71，p≤0.01）显著更高，而青少年表现出更积极的态度（99.03±17.43 vs. 90.74±11.78，p≤0.01）。较高的知识水平与女性、拥有大学学历、居住在城市地区以及就业相关。积极的态度与青少年、男性、农村居民以及较低的教育水平有关。同时，积极的行为与女性、拥有大学学历、居住在城市地区、就业以及认识患有精神疾病的人相关。回归分析强调教育和城市居住是所有心理健康素养组成部分的一致预测因素，就业和对精神疾病的熟悉程度进一步提高行为得分。
本研究突出了成年人和青少年在心理健康素养方面的显著差异，成年人的知识和行为得分更高，青少年表现出更积极的态度。社会人口学因素，特别是教育、城市居住和就业，是影响知识、态度和行为的一致预测因素。这些发现强调了有针对性干预措施的必要性，例如将心理健康教育纳入课程、开展减少污名化运动以及改善心理健康服务的可及性，特别是在农村地区。
