Gender differences in the mental health literacy of young people

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Furnham ◽  
Jennifer Annis ◽  
Kalia Cleridou
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
The Other ◽  
Female Character ◽  
Health Disorders

Abstract Aim: This study explored the influence of gender on the mental health literacy (MHL) of young people. Method: In all, 370 young people (aged 17–22 years) completed one of two questionnaires, in which they had to label/provide a diagnosis for nine vignettes of people with different mental health disorders. Half the vignettes had a male and the other half had a female character. They also rated the vignette person on nine scales. Results: There was much variance in recognition for the different disorders, with a range of 77.0%–27.3% of participants “correctly” labeling the vignettes. Very few gender differences were found, but age and experience of/education in mental health were found to be positively correlated with MHL. Conclusion: Gender differences in MHL may not be as great as previously thought. Although some disorders were recognized by the majority of participants, there are still common disorders that were not.

Mental Health Literacy, Help-Seeking Behaviour and Wellbeing in Young People: Implications for Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (01) ◽  
pp. 16-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prishini Ratnayake ◽  
Chelsea Hyde
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Young People ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviour

AbstractResearch indicates that individuals who have high levels of mental health literacy engage in help-seeking for mental health issues more in comparison to those with low mental health literacy. It is therefore important to ensure that young people are able to identify signs of psychological distress and identify appropriate supports and resources when necessary. Preliminary research has identified gender differences in help-seeking and identification of mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mental health literacy, help-seeking intentions and wellbeing in senior high school students. The sample consisted of 22 females and 10 male students, ranging from 16–18 years. Findings indicated a positive correlation between wellbeing and general help-seeking, as well as wellbeing and help-seeking for suicidal ideation. Gender differences were identified for aspects of mental health literacy and help-seeking intentions. Results of this research have implications for practitioners in fostering positive outcomes and developing targeted interventions towards improving mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviour in the future.

A national child mental health literacy initiative is needed to reduce childhood mental health disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 286-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy A Tully ◽  
David J Hawes ◽  
Frances L Doyle ◽  
Michael G Sawyer ◽  
Mark R Dadds
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Parental Knowledge ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Childhood Disorders ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Low Levels

Half of all lifetime mental health disorders emerge in childhood, so intervening in the childhood years is critical to prevent chronic trajectories of mental health disorders. The prevalence of child mental health disorders is not decreasing despite the increased availability of evidence-based interventions. One key reason for the high prevalence and low treatment uptake may be low levels of child mental health literacy in the general community. Mental health literacy refers to knowledge and beliefs about mental health disorders that aid in their recognition, prevention and management. There is emerging evidence of poor recognition of child mental health problems in the community and low levels of parental knowledge about how to seek help, along with high levels of stigmatising attitudes. Although Australia has been a world leader in research and practice in improving mental health literacy for adolescent and adult mental health disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, mental health literacy for childhood disorders has been largely overlooked. In order to improve knowledge of child mental health disorders, reduce stigma, improve appropriate help-seeking and impact on the prevalence of child mental health disorders, we argue that a national initiative focussing on increasing mental health literacy for childhood disorders is urgently needed.

Influence of Gender on Mental Health Literacy in Young Australians

2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 790-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue M. Cotton ◽  
Annemarie Wright ◽  
Meredith G. Harris ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm ◽  
Patrick D. Mcgorry
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Young People ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Computer Assisted

Objectives: To determine the effects of gender on mental health literacy in young people between 12 and 25 years of age. Design: Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing was employed to conduct a crosssectional structured interview focusing on young people's awareness of depression and psychosis. Participants: The sample comprised 1207 young Australians (539 males and 668 females) between the ages of 12-25 recruited from two metropolitan and two regional areas within Victoria. Six hundred and six respondents were presented a depression vignette and 601 were presented a psychosis vignette. Results: Female respondents (60.7%) were significantly more likely to correctly identify depression in the vignette as compared to male respondents (34.5%). No significant gender differences were noted for the psychosis vignette. Males were less significantly likely to endorse seeing a doctor or psychologist/counsellor for the treatment of psychosis. Males were also significantly more likely than females to endorse alcohol as a way of dealing with depression and antibiotics as useful for dealing with psychosis. Conclusion: Gender differences in mental health literacy are striking. Males showed significantly lower recognition of symptoms associated with mental illness and were more likely endorse the use alcohol to deal with mental health problems. Such factors may contribute to the delays in help seeking seen in young males. Further research is needed to delineate how these gender differences in young people may obstruct help seeking, early intervention and other aspects of mental health service delivery.

scholarly journals Why mental health literacy still matters: a review

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 2723
Author(s):  
Surendran Venkataraman ◽  
Rajkumar Patil ◽  
Sivaprakash Balasundaram
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
General Public ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Health Disorders

The magnitude of mental disorders is a growing public health concern. An increasing amount of research globally has attempted to understand the reasons for poor help-seeking for different mental health disorders. A segment of work has focused on ‘mental health literacy’ (MHL) defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management & prevention. Studies on mental health literacy, people’s knowledge of, and attitude towards mental illness, and beliefs about mental health treatment were obtained through a review of literature in PubMed databases using the medical subject headings (MeSH) terms and unpublished, grey literature during the year 1995 to 2018. Nearly 50 of the eligible articles were included for the final report. Findings revealed that the general public have relatively poor recognition of the symptoms of mental health disorders and appear to emphasise self-help over standard medical treatments. Negative attitudes toward mental illness that hinders individuals from seeking professional treatment, and help-seeking are the common themes that emerge from the findings. Findings also revealed that treatment seeking, attitudes and beliefs toward mental illness are related to mental health literacy. Several different factors that influence have been identified, including gender, culture, age, educational qualifications, and personality. MHL in general remains at a relatively low level. There is an urgent need to improve awareness of mental illness and mental health literacy among the general public. Future research for improving MHL are required. 

scholarly journals Teacher Candidate Mental Health and Mental Health Literacy

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Dods
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Teacher Candidate ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Health Disorders

Providing teacher candidates with a strong foundation in mental health literacy during their teacher education program is crucial in ensuring novice teachers are prepared to support the mental health needs of their students. In addition to responding to students, teacher candidates are typically at an age when mental health disorders are common and their personal mental health during the program also needs to be considered. In the current study, a survey was conducted with 375 teacher candidates in order to extend our understanding of the personal mental health and mental health literacy of pre-service teachers. Results showed that teacher candidate mental health was similar to the general population, with 77% reporting positive personal mental health. Teacher candidates did report high levels of stress. Teacher candidates had considerable personal and professional experience with mental health prior to starting the program and reported positive attitudes and moderate levels of knowledge about mental health disorders. Despite considerable experience and a positive perspective, teacher candidates did not feel ready or competent to support the mental health of students. Current teacher education programs should consider building on the knowledge and experience the teacher candidates bring, and enhancing their capacity to translate that knowledge into the classroom setting.

scholarly journals M.I.C.E—Mental Health Intervention for Children with Epilepsy: a randomised controlled, multi-centre clinical trial evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of MATCH-ADTC in addition to usual care compared to usual care alone for children and young people with common mental health disorders and epilepsy—study protocol

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie D. Bennett ◽  
◽  
J. Helen Cross ◽  
Anna E. Coughtrey ◽  
Isobel Heyman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Usual Care ◽  
Psychological Intervention ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background Mental health disorders in the context of long-term conditions in children and young people are currently overlooked and undertreated. Evidence-based psychological treatments for common childhood mental health disorders (anxiety, depression and disruptive behaviour disorders) have not been systematically evaluated in young people with epilepsy despite their high prevalence in this population. The aim of this multi-site randomised controlled trial is to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of adding a modular psychological intervention to usual care for the mental health disorders in comparison to assessment-enhanced usual care alone. Methods In total, 334 participants aged 3–18 years attending epilepsy services will be screened for mental health disorders with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the diagnostic Development and Wellbeing Assessment (DAWBA). Those identified as having a mental health disorder and consenting to the trial will be randomised to either receive up to 22 sessions of the modular psychological intervention (MATCH-ADTC) delivered over the telephone over 6 months by non-mental health professionals in addition to usual care or to assessment-enhanced usual care alone. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, 6 months and 12 months post-randomisation. It is hypothesised that MATCH-ADTC plus usual care will be superior to assessment-enhanced usual care in improving emotional and behavioural symptoms. The primary outcome is the SDQ reported by parents at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include parent-reported mental health measures such as the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale, quality of life measures such as the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory and physical health measures such as the Hague Seizure Severity Scale. Outcome assessors will be blinded to group assignment. Qualitative process evaluations and a health economic evaluation will also be completed. Discussion This trial aims to determine whether a systematic and integrated approach to the identification and treatment of mental health disorders in children and young people with epilepsy is clinically and cost-effective. The findings will contribute to policies and practice with regard to addressing mental health needs in children and young people with other long-term conditions. Trial registration ISRCTN ISRCTN57823197. Registered on 25 February 2019.

Enhancing mental health literacy in young people

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 567-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Kutcher ◽  
Yifeng Wei ◽  
Susana Costa ◽  
Ricardo Gusmão ◽  
Norbert Skokauskas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Literacy

scholarly journals Examining lottery play and risk among young people in Great Britain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasha Stark ◽  
Heather Wardle ◽  
Isabel Burdett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Young People ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
General Health ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Gambling Problems ◽  
Health Disorders

Purpose & Significance: Despite the popularity of lottery and scratchcards and some evidence of gambling problems among players, limited research focuses on the risks of lottery and scratchcard play and predictors of problems, especially among young people. The purpose of this project is to examine whether lottery and scratchcard participation is related to gambling problems among 16-24 year olds in Great Britain and whether general and mental health and gambling behaviours explain this relationship. Methodology: Samples of 16-24 year olds were pooled from the 2012, 2015, and 2016 Gambling in England and Scotland: Combined Data from the Health Survey for England and the Scottish Health Survey (n=3,454). Bivariate analyses and Firth method logistic regression were used to examine the relationship between past-year lottery and scratchcard participation and gambling problems, assessing the attenuating role of mental wellbeing, mental health disorders, self-assessed general health, and playing other games in past year. Results: There is a significant association between scratchcard play and gambling problems. The association somewhat attenuated but remained significant after taking into account wellbeing, mental health disorders, general health, and engagement in other gambling activities. Findings also show that gambling problems are further predicted by age (20-24 years), gender (male), lower wellbeing, and playing any other gambling games. Implications: Results are valuable for informing youth-focused education, decisions around the legal age for National Lottery products, and the development of safer gambling initiatives for high risk groups and behaviours, such as scratchcard play.

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