Gender Differences and Mental Health: An Exploratory Study of Knowledge and Attitudes to Mental Health Among Scottish Teenagers

Williams, Brian; Pow, Janette

doi:10.1111/j.1475-3588.2006.00413.x

Cited by 45 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In Vignette 1 there was a significant association between gender and problem definition that was consistent with the literature (Burns & Rapee, 2006;Cotton et al, 2006;Williams & Pow, 2007). No other significant gender associations were identified.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Using a vignette-based questionnaire to explore adolescents’ understanding of mental health issues

Leighton

2010

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry

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The aim of this study was to examine levels of mental health literacy among a school-based sample of adolescents. To achieve this, a vignette-based questionnaire was developed, piloted, and completed. Mixed methods were used to collect and analyse data. Findings were analysed using content analysis, and descriptive and inferential statistics. Key findings include first, that socio-economic disadvantage and low levels of educational attainment are not necessarily synonymous with lower levels of mental health literacy. Second, female respondents, and those with experience of mental health problems, were more flexible in their choice of sources of help, and the perceived benefits of such help. Implications for practice are considered in terms of clinical understanding, mental health promotion for adolescents and training for professionals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Using a vignette-based questionnaire to explore adolescents’ understanding of mental health issues

Leighton

2010

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry

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“…Previous research suggests that girls are more likely than boys to present to mental health services with eating problems and fatigue, and therefore, these symptoms may be more readily recognized by girls as indicative of mental health problems (Bennett, Ambrosini, Kudes, Metz, & Rabinovich, 2005;Health Service Executive, 2011). Girls were more likely to list all of Emily's symptoms as signs of emotional difficulties, corroborating previous findings of higher self-reported knowledge of depression in adolescent females (Williams & Pow, 2007). Overall, the current results imply that female participants had higher overall mental health literacy than males, which corresponds with the results of other Irish studies (e.g., Chambers & Murphy, 2011).…”

Section: What Knowledge Of Depression Do Irish Adolescents Possess?supporting

confidence: 93%

Mental Health Literacy and Help-Giving Responses in Irish Adolescents

Byrne

Swords

Nixon

2015

Journal of Adolescent Research

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This study assessed mental health literacy in Irish adolescents (N = 187), and explored participants' help-giving responses toward hypothetical depressed peers. Participants read five vignettes, each describing an adolescent experiencing a life difficulty; two of the characters met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM-IV) criteria for depression. The majority of participants could not identify depression or potential suicidality, but felt concerned for the depressed characters' wellbeing. Most participants stated they would provide help if they were the depressed characters' friends. Correct identification of depression did not influence the type of help offered. A significant proportion of participants did not mention engaging an adult's assistance, and assessing for suicidality was not mentioned by any participant. Gender differences were found in mental health literacy and the type of responses offered. Education that emphasizes the importance of informing an adult and assessing for suicidal risk is recommended.

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“…Although women did not reduce the level of stigma in negativism, their baseline levels were higher than those for men at the end of the intervention. Other authors have reported that girls are more positive towards patients [10,18,33] . People with knowledge of someone with a mental illness reduce stigmatizing attitudes in all areas with the exception of restrictiveness and benevolence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Intervention for reducing stigma: Assessing the influence of gender and knowledge

Martínez-Zambrano

García-Morales²,

Garcia-Franco³

et al. 2013

WJP

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AIM:To evaluate the effectiveness in reducing social stigma of an intervention and to assess the influence of gender and knowledge. METHODS:The program consisted in providing information and contact with users of mental health in order to reduce social stigma in the school environment. A total of 62 secondary school students (age 14-16 years) were evaluated with the Opinions on Mental Illness (OMI) questionnaire before and after the intervention. The subscales of the OMI were: authoritarianism, interpersonal etiology, benevolence, restrictiveness and negativism. The analysis was performed over the total sample, separating by gender and knowledge of someone with a mental disorder. t -test for repeated measures was used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS:All the OMI subscales showed a significant change after the intervention (P < 0.001), except for benevolence. Women presented significant changes in the subscales of authoritarianism and restrictiveness, while men presented changes in negativism and interpersonal etiology rather than restrictiveness (P < 0.001-0.003). Students that knew someone with a mental disorder presented significant changes in authoritarianism, interpersonal etiology, and negativism (P < 0.001-0.003) and students that do not know anyone with a mental disorder improved in restrictiveness and authoritarianism (P < 0.001-0.001). In all the subscales of the instrument the students improved their perception of mental disorders, reducing their levels of stigma. CONCLUSION:The intervention designed to reduce social stigma was effective, especially in the area of authoritarianism. The whole sample showed improved attitudes towards mental illness, although the areas were different depending on gender and knowledge.

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Gender Differences and Mental Health: An Exploratory Study of Knowledge and Attitudes to Mental Health Among Scottish Teenagers

Cited by 45 publications

References 16 publications

Using a vignette-based questionnaire to explore adolescents’ understanding of mental health issues

Using a vignette-based questionnaire to explore adolescents’ understanding of mental health issues

Mental Health Literacy and Help-Giving Responses in Irish Adolescents

Intervention for reducing stigma: Assessing the influence of gender and knowledge

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