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. 2022 Mar 9;19(6):3242.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063242.

The Determinants of Mental Health Literacy among Young Adolescents in Malaysia

Sarbhan Singh  1 , Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki  2 , Nik Daliana Nik Farid  2 , Kushilpal Kaur  3
Affiliations

The Determinants of Mental Health Literacy among Young Adolescents in Malaysia

Sarbhan Singh et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Mental health literacy (MHL) is an established multifaceted concept that comprises mental health knowledge, help-seeking, and stigma. Adequate MHL (i.e., the ability to correctly recognize mental health disorders alongside having the intention to seek help) is able improve mental health outcomes among individuals. This study aims to examine the determinants of MHL among young Malaysian adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1400 adolescents between 13 and 14 years old from nine national secondary schools in Selangor state, Malaysia. Sociodemographic determinants assessed included gender, age, ethnicity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, history of being bullied, feeling lonely, parental marital status, and parental income which were assessed using the Global School Based Student Health Survey. MHL was assessed using the Mental Health Literacy and Stigma questionnaire. Several factors were significantly associated with adequate levels of MHL following multivariate analysis, such as being female (AOR = 1.68; 95% CI 1.12, 2.52), older adolescents (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI 1.07, 2.30), not smoking (AOR = 1.99; 95% CI 1.20, 4.26), not consuming alcohol (AOR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.18, 2.41), and not feeling lonely (AOR = 1.25; 95% CI 1.06, 1.85). Addressing these determinants could be key in assisting the development of policies and programs to prevent mental health disorders among adolescents, which are currently on the rise.

Keywords: adolescents; mental health disorders; mental health literacy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
G* power sample size output.
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