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The issue of mental health literacy has been widely studied in developed countries, with few studies conducted in Arab countries. In this study we aimed to investigate mental health literacy and attitudes towards psychiatric patients among students of Jazan University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students using a validated Arabic-version questionnaire. A total of 557 students were recruited from different Jazan university colleges. The majority of students (90.3%) have intermediate mental health literacy. Regarding the etiology of mental illness, students agreed that genetic inheritance (45.8%), poor quality of life (65%) and social relationship weakness (73.1%) are the main causes of mental illness. The majority thought that mentally ill people are not capable of true friendships (52.5%) and that anyone can suffer from a mental illness (49.4%). Students' attitudes towards psychiatric patients were mixed, with 68.7% reporting that they could maintain a friendship with a mentally ill person and that people with mental illness should have the same rights as anyone else (82.5%). Mental health literacy among university students was intermediate. There is an urgent need for health educational programs to change the attitudes of students regarding this important health issue.

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate an online mental health literacy training program for college female mentors.

Undergraduate female participants (n = 10) completed in asynchronous mental health literacy training. Participants completed the Heads Up Checkup (HCU) and mental health literacy scale (MHLS). Participant usage data were collected for the training course and analyzed using means and standard deviations. Qualitative data were analyzed by axial coding and thematic categorization.

The mean MHLS score, based on mean (M) and standard deviation (SD), was high for the participants (M = 145.69, SD = 8.41). Six qualitative themes from the training effectiveness feedback were used: (1) help-seeking, (2) stress management, (3) tailored guidance to resources, (4) understanding warning signs, (5) body image awareness and (6) engaging with mentees.

There are a few limitations to this study including the small sample size, unrestricted time frame for completion of the asynchronous training and the need for long-term follow-up of the intervention effects.

This pilot study provides initial support for the mental health literacy training program when implemented with undergraduate females.

Given inadequate mental health literacy in college females regarding such topics, continually training undergraduates about these warning signs is necessary. Future research could consider implementing this program with all gender identities, various age groups and in both synchronous and asynchronous modalities. This program could also be replicated using a pre- and post-test design to evaluate direct impact of the training on outcome variables.

All the participants discussed how the training prepared them in aiding mentees in help-seeking and identifying appropriate mental health resources. Participants also indicated how the training enabled personal and others-oriented stress management, which supports a mental health literacy training program that reduced stress in medical students.

The purpose of this study is to systematically review how positive mental health literacy has been conceptualised and measured over the last 20 years. Positive mental health recognises the benefits of feeling good and functioning effectively. Developing clarity around conceptualisation and knowledge (or literacy) of what constitutes positive mental health is an area of continued development, and an important step in measuring the impact of mental health promotion.

A systematic review of literature was performed to investigate how positive mental health literacy has been conceptualised and measured over the last 20 years. Databases searched included EDS, Scopus, ERIC, PsycINFO, CINAHL and SocIndex with fulltext. Search terms relating to positive mental health were combined with proximity operators within four words denoting knowledge, competence or literacy.

A total of 464 records were assessed on title level, with six articles included for final review. The final studies included three measures assessing participants’ knowledge of positive mental health, some of which included more distal themes such as awareness of coping strategies and emotional awareness. One measure, the Mental Health Promoting Knowledge – 10, stood out as the most fitting measure of positive mental health literacy.

Our review approaches an under reported area of study, highlighting an area in need for further development with a few limitations. When building the search strategy, care was taken to line it up with literacy around positive mental health and its synonyms. The word “mental health” without positive specification was omitted in the final search strategy, increasing the risk of it also omitting potential articles of interest.

Our findings therefore highlight a knowledge gap in relation to conceptualisations and measures of positive mental health literacy, unfolding an area for further development. A more harmonised understanding of what is meant by positive mental health is an important step towards clarifying the concept and facilitating future study of the topic. Measures of positive mental health literacy could be an important indicator for mental health promotion.

New ways of measuring positive mental health literacy can be a useful way to establish benefits of mental health promotion, taking a salutogenic approach to mental health.

These findings expose an apparent knowledge gap in relation to conceptualisations and measures of positive mental health literacy, highlighting an area in need for further development. Measures of positive mental health literacy could be an important indicator for mental health promotion.

The purpose of this systematic review is to assess if there is a relationship between literacy abilities and mental health outcomes as reported in global literature. Fourteen percent of the global population has little or no literacy. Literacy skills impact on daily functioning and have been shown to impact on social outcomes. Whilst there has been research examining the potential association between literacy and mental health outcomes in specific populations, there has been no systematic review of this literature to date.

A systematic review was carried out using Embase, PsycINFO and PubMed to identify relevant papers that measured both literacy and mental health. Data relating to the association between literacy and mental health were extracted. The papers included were assessed for quality using a bespoke quality rating tool. A narrative synthesis describes the findings.

Nineteen studies from across nine countries were included in the analysis. Seventeen studies showed a significant association between literacy and mental health, those with lower literacy had greater mental health difficulties. Some papers reported factors that interacted with this association, such as age, gender, poverty and years of education.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review to look at the global picture of literacy and mental health. It suggests there is a relationship between literacy abilities and mental health outcomes, highlighting the importance of healthcare professionals and services including identification of literacy needs within routine mental health practice.

The term “Mental health literacy” is defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention. The importance of health literacy for physical health is widely studied; however, the area of mental health literacy in Pakistan has been comparatively neglected. The purpose of this paper is to address the knowledge about mental health in people living in Pakistan.

Relevant literature relating to mental health literacy was identified through various database searches. The databases searched included: PubMed, Cochrane database of Systemic Reviews, PsycINFO using the terms mental health, mental health literacy, mental health education, Pakistan.

Literature suggests that there is dearth of knowledge about mental illnesses and their treatment among public. This review also highlights the importance of mental health literacy among professionals working in the field of health care. In Pakistan, due to low literacy rate, a high percentage of poverty and dearth of trained professionals warrants an emendation in approaches established for attaining the goal of public health and psychiatric care.

Findings have implications for practitioners in the field of mental health care as well as designing targeted interventions for enhancing mental health literacy and help-seeking behavior in the future.

A limited understanding and lack of improvement in mental health literacy may interfere with society’s acceptance of evidence-based mental health care which may hamper the delivery of adequate mental health services to the needy.

Many university students in the UK experience mental health problems and little is known about their overall mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain levels of mental health literacy in UK university students and to examine whether mental health literacy is associated with better mental health outcomes and intentions to seek professional care.

A total of 380 university students at a university in the south of England completed online surveys measuring multiple dimensions of mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviour, distress, and well-being.

Mental health literacy in the students sampled was lower than seen in previous research. Women exhibited higher levels of mental health literacy than men and postgraduate students scored higher than undergraduate students. Participants with previous mental health problems had higher levels of mental health literacy than those with no history of mental health problems. Individuals were most likely to want to seek support from a partner or family member and most participants indicated they would be able to access mental health information online. Mental health literacy was significantly positively correlated with help-seeking behaviour, but not significantly correlated with distress or well-being.

Strategies, such as anonymous online resources, should be designed to help UK university students become more knowledgeable about mental health and comfortable with seeking appropriate support.

This study is the first to examine multiple dimensions of mental health literacy in UK university students and compare it to help-seeking behaviour, distress, and well-being.

School principals are generally seen as key facilitators for the delivery and long-term implementation of activities on school health promotion, including health literacy. However, there is little evidence on the health literacy and health status of this occupational group. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the health literacy of school principals and its association with mental health indicators.

A cross-sectional online survey with German school principals and members of the management board (vice principals) was conducted (n = 680, 68.3% female). Demographic (gender, age) and work characteristics (type of school, professional role) as well as health literacy served as independent variables. Mental health as a dependent variable included well-being, emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Next to uni- and bivariate analysis, a series of binary logistic regression models was performed.

Of the respondents, 29.2% showed a limited health literacy with significant differences to the disadvantage of male principals. With regard to mental health, respondents aged over 60 years and those from schools for children with special educational needs were less often affected by low well-being as well as frequent emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic complaints. Taking into account demographic and work characteristics, regression models revealed significant associations between a low level of health literacy and poor mental health across all indicators.

The cross-sectional nature of this study does not allow to draw conclusions about the causal pathways between health literacy and mental health. Although the sample has been weighted, the results cannot be generalized to the whole population of school principals. There is a need for evidence-based interventions aiming at promoting health literacy and mental health tailored to the needs of school principals.

This is the first study to investigate health literacy and its association with health indicators among school principals.

Despite a high prevalence of mental health problems, few students know where to turn for support. The purpose of this study was to gain a UK wide perspective on levels of mental health literacy amongst university students and to examine the relationship between mental health literacy and mental health help-seeking behaviours.

A total of 300 university students in the UK participated in this online cross-sectional study. Participants filled out the mental health literacy scale, the general help-seeking questionnaire, Kessler psychological distress scale 10, The Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale and the self-compassion scale: short form.

Overall, 78 per cent of participants indicated mild or more severe symptoms of distress. Students reported lower levels of mental health literacy when compared to students in other nations. Women, bisexuals, and those with a history of mental disorders indicated high levels of mental health literacy. Participants indicated they were most likely to seek support from intimate partners and least likely to seek support from religious leaders. No significant correlations were found between mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviours. Mental health literacy was not correlated with distress, mental well-being or self-compassion. Help-seeking behaviours were only significantly positively correlated with mental well-being.

Universities should address strategies to improve help-seeking behaviours in an effort to address overall mental well-being. Programmes may wish to help provide students with information about accessing face-to-face support systems. Environmental strategies to foster mental well-being on campus should also be explored.

Mental health literacy programmes can help reduce stigma towards people who experience mental health challenges. Co-facilitated mental health literacy programmes, delivered by a person with lived experience of mental health challenges in partnership with a person with clinical experience in mental health services, may further reduce stigma. This qualitative study aims to explore participants’ satisfaction with a co-facilitated mental health literacy programme and facilitator characteristics influencing satisfaction.

The authors used deidentified post-workshop evaluation data from 762 community mental health literacy programme participants (86% response rate). Thematic analysis of qualitative data used a general inductive approach.

Findings indicate high satisfaction with the co-facilitation model used to deliver a mental health literacy programme. Three key themes related to co-facilitation satisfaction: how participants perceived the co-facilitation model overall; the impact of having two facilitators that offered different knowledge and perspectives about mental health challenges; and the impact of personal stories shared. The personal stories shared by facilitators were perceived as bringing the workshop content to life and providing insights into people’s experiences and well-being journey. Key themes influencing co-facilitation satisfaction related to facilitator knowledge, skills, values and attitudes.

Findings indicate the positive impact of incorporating people’s lived experience into the design and delivery of mental health literacy programmes. Findings highlight key facilitator characteristics and support needs when recruiting facilitators to deliver programmes. This includes good facilitation skills alongside personal experiences.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first large study examining satisfaction with a co-facilitated mental health literacy programme for the general public.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct effects of eHealth literacy, perceived competence, perceived electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) credibility and price perception on consumers' willingness to purchase online mental health services. This study also examines the mediating role of perceived information quality on the eHealth literacy-consumers' willingness to purchase online mental health services relationship and the moderating roles of perceived eWOM credibility and price perception on the perceived competence-consumers' willingness to purchase online mental health services relationship.

Based on an extensive literature review, a conceptual model was developed. The research design was cross-sectional. A total of 400 respondents participated in the self-administered survey. After discarding some questionnaires due to incompleteness and lack of variance, a total of 367 responses was used in final data analysis. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed model.

eHealth literacy, perceived competence, perceived eWOM credibility and price perception were found to have significant positive direct effects on consumers' willingness to purchase online mental health services. Perceived information quality was found to have a significant partial mediating effect on the eHealth literacy-consumers' willingness to purchase online mental health services relationship. Both perceived eWOM credibility and price perception were found to have significant positive moderating effects on the perceived competence-consumers' willingness to purchase online mental health services relationship.

Studies concerning online mental health services from a marketing or business perspective is almost non-existent. Therefore, this study contributes to the scarce literature in that context. This is the first study that has investigated how eHealth literacy, perceived information quality, perceived competence, perceived eWOM credibility and price perception influence consumers' willingness to purchase online mental health services.