Mental health literacy as theory: current challenges and future directions

Spiker, Douglas A.; Hammer, Joseph H.

doi:10.1080/09638237.2018.1437613

Cited by 108 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Teachers' mental health literacy and help-giving responses 'Mental health literacy' (MHL) is a relatively new, but increasingly studied, construct with multiple definitions being identified in the research (Spiker and Hammer 2019). The original definition offered by Jorm and colleagues (1997) refers to 'knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention' (Jorm et al 1997, 182).…”

Section: Internalising Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health literacy and help-giving responses of Irish primary school teachers

Chorcora

Swords

2021

Irish Educational Studies

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Teachers can play a crucial role in identifying and responding to children's mental health difficulties. This study explored teachers' mental health literacy (MHL) and their help-giving responses, a topic which is relatively unexplored, particularly at primary school level. Primary teachers (N = 356) responded to a questionnaire that followed the presentation of each of three vignettes: a non-clinical, control, vignette and two clinical vignettes. One of the clinical vignettes described a child with generalised anxiety disorder and another described a child with depression. Mixed-methods questioning was used to assess teachers' ability to recognise internalising disorders and their help-giving responses. Most participants were able to recognise a child experiencing an internalising disorder, with 84% accurately identifying anxiety and 71% accurately identifying depression. Multiple regression analyses showed that being female and having more exposure to mental illness were significantly associated with greater concern for affected children. Greater concern and confidence in one's ability to help students in need were significantly associated with teachers' intention to offer support. More years of teaching experience was associated with less help-giving intentions. MHL training for teachers is recommended so as to improve their ability to identify and respond to children's mental health difficulties in a timely manner.

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Section: Internalising Disordersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health literacy and help-giving responses of Irish primary school teachers

Chorcora

Swords

2021

Irish Educational Studies

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“…Therefore, factors that influence mental health and well-being in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic should be identified to support individuals and mental health services providers in their struggle against the negative psychological consequences of living in the stressful time (Tanhan et al, 2020). Arslan et al (2020a) proposed that mental health consists of mental ill-health and well-health (see also Allen and McKenzie, 2015;Spiker and Hammer, 2019;Arslan and Allen, 2020). The former term refers to emotional states of depression, anxiety, stress, and adjustment problems that worsen optimal functioning, whereas the latter refers to fulfilling emotional, social, and psychological experiences (Arslan et al, 2020b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health, Well-Being, and Psychological Flexibility in the Stressful Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

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This study investigated the relationships between selected emotional aspects of mental ill-health (depression, anxiety, and stress, DASS) and mental well-health (well-being) experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical model of the study was based on Martin Seligman’s positive psychology and PERMA theory and Paul Wong’s Existential Positive Psychology 2.0 Theory, which postulates that negative experiences contribute to well-being and personal growth. The static approach was complemented by exploring the mediating role of psychological flexibility (defined as acceptance and action in the current situation) in the relationship between negative emotions and well-being. The data were collected during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic from 277 participants (221 women), aged M = 33.83, SD = 12.77. The results confirmed that negative emotions correlated negatively with various domains of well-being (PERM), except for accomplishment (completing tasks and fulfill daily responsibilities). Moreover, negative emotions were related to the general well-being through psychological flexibility in that higher depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with lower psychological flexibility, which decreased general well-being. Finally, negative emotions were shown to be beneficial, having an adaptive effect that allows individuals to maintain their ability to cope with the situation, reach goals, and fulfill daily duties and responsibilities despite critical, stressful situation (like the COVID-19 pandemic) that limit their psychological flexibility. This observation confirmed the positive potential of negative aspects of life postulated within Existential Positive Psychology.

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“…Item 21 had the highest score. Most of the participants understand that exercise can make the mind refreshed, so they think exercise can prevent depression [33], [34]. Item 12 also had the highest score because the participants thought, if he experiences a stressor and anxiety or mood disorder, a faster heartbeat is a sign that is easily felt physically [35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Validation of a Survey to Evaluate Mental Health Knowledge: The Case of Indonesian Pregnant Women

Kusumawati

Widyawati

Dewi

2021

Open Access Maced J Med Sci

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BACKGROUND: Internationally, many instruments have been designed to evaluate mental health knowledge; however, in pregnant women is very limited. AIM: Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a survey to measure the mental health knowledge of pregnant women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 13 midwives attended the FGD and 10 pregnant women were invited for in-depth interviews to develop an item pool. The content validity was carried out by a panel of 6 experts. The face validity was performed with 5 pregnant women. Next, the construct validity test involved 150 pregnant women who were selected by stratified sampling from 13 public health centers in Surakarta, Indonesia. Analyses were conducted to check content validity, face validity, construct validity, internal consistency reliability, difficulty index, and exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: A final 20-item Mental Health Knowledge Scale (MHKS) has a content validity index of 0.97 and a correlation value per item greater than the r-table (i.e., 0.1603). In addition, the MHKS has a Kuder–Richardson 20 reliability coefficient of 0.717. Furthermore, the difficulty index ranged from 0.39 to 0.82 which was considered in the good and acceptable category. Construct validity was confirmed using exploratory factor analysis KMO = 0.713, Bartlett’s test p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, the final version of the MHKS was considered a valid and reliable tool. The instrument can be applied to measure the understanding of pregnant women about pregnancy depression. Further studies require adjustment items to other participants regarding mental health knowledge.

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Mental health literacy as theory: current challenges and future directions

Abstract: A theory of MHL can guide future researchers to clearly delineate important constructs and their interrelationships. For practitioners, a theory of MHL can help inform how to improve MHL at both the individual and community level.

Cited by 108 publications

References 45 publications

Mental health literacy and help-giving responses of Irish primary school teachers

Mental health literacy and help-giving responses of Irish primary school teachers

Mental Health, Well-Being, and Psychological Flexibility in the Stressful Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Development and Validation of a Survey to Evaluate Mental Health Knowledge: The Case of Indonesian Pregnant Women

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