Research Article
Year 2025,
Volume: 17 Issue: Supplement 1, 100 - 110
Abstract
Objective: Mental Health Literacy is a subset of healthcare literacy that provides recognition of knowledge and beliefs regarding mental disorders, their prevention and management, and help-seeking behaviors for mental disorders. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Mental Health Literacy and independent variables on the attitudes of nursing students toward seeking psychological help.
Method: The study sample consisted of 361 students. The Student Descriptive Questionnaire, Mental Health Literacy Scale, and Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form were used to collect the study data.
Results: The mean score of the Mental Health Literacy Scale was 16.925±3.122, and the mean score of Attitude Toward Seeking Psychological Help was 66.044±9.432. Mental Health Literacy explained 20% of the Attitude Toward Seeking Psychological Help. It was detected that gender had a negative and significant impact on the Attitude Toward Seeking Psychological Help (B = -2.774, β = -0.130). The results showed that students who considered seeking psychological help had a more positive attitude on this issue.
Conclusion: It is possible to argue that as individuals’ Mental Health Literacy increases, their attitudes toward seeking psychological help become more positive, men have a more negative attitude toward seeking psychological help than women, and individuals who consider seeking psychological help exhibit a more positive attitude in this respect. It is important to support students who do not think of seeking psychological help and male students in seeking psychological first aid and to raise awareness among students by organizing panels and symposiums on the problems created by gender roles.
Project Number
yok
References
- Abo-Rass F, Nakash O, Abu-Kaf S (2023) A scoping review of studies examining mental health literacy among arabs worldwide. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs, 30:1245-1256.
- Abuhammad S, Hamaideh S (2022) Nursing students’ attitudes toward seeking Professional psychological help before and after attending a mental health course. Nurs Educ Perspect, 43:129-131.
- ACHA (2019) American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive Summary Spring. Silver Spring, American College Health Association.
- Arifin S, Jaafar WMW, Nor SBM, Husain Z, Omar KMS, Yasin MAS (2022) The prevalence of attitudes toward seeking counseling help among malaysian university students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12:1389-1398.
- Chen P, Liu XJ, Wang XQ, Yang BX, Ruan J, Liu Z (2020) Attitude toward seeking professional psychological help among community-dwelling population in China. Front Psychiatry, 11:417.
- Cheng HL, Wang C, McDermott RC, Kridel M, Rislin JL (2018) Self‐Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, And Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help. J Couns Dev, 96:64-74.
- Conceição V, Rothes I, Gusmão, R (2022) The association between stigmatizing attitudes towards depression and help seeking attitudes in college students. PLoS One, 17:e0263622.
- Cormier E, Park H, Schluck G (2022) college students' emental health literacy and risk of diagnosis with mental health disorders. Healthcare, 10:2406.
- De Girolamo G, Dagani J, Purcell R, Cocchi A, McGorry PD (2012) Age of on set of mental disorders and use of mental health services: needs, opportunities and obstacles. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci, 21:47–57.
- El-Hachem SS, Lakkis NA, Osman MH, Issa HG, Beshara RY (2023) University students’ intentions to seek psychological counseling, attitudes toward seeking psychological help, and stigma. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 58:1661-1674.
- Fischer EH, Turner JI (1970) Orientations to seeking professional help: Development and research utility of an attitude scale. J Consult Clin Psychol , 35:79–90.
- Fitri RR (2019) Mental Health Literacy of University Students. Psychological Research and Intervention. 2:55-64.
- Goktas S, Isıklı B, Onsuz MF, Yenilmez Ç, Metintaş S (2019) Evaluation of the validity and reliability of the mental health literacy maker (RSOY Scale) in Turkish. Konuralp Medical Journal, 11:424-431.
- Good G.E, Dell DM, Mintz LB (1989) Male role and gender role conflict: Associations with help-seeking in men. J Couns Psychol, 36:295–300.
- Göktaş A, Buldukoğlu K (2022) Ruhsal hastalığı olan bireylerin yardım arama davranışları. Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Dergisi, 4:159-164.
- Kackin O, Kılıc M, Ersin F (2023) Nursing students' self-efficacy perceptions, Health literacy levels and affecting factors. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, 20:256-64.
- Kesgin MT, Pehlivan S, Uymaz P (2020) Turkish adaptation of the mental health literacy scale: validity and reliability study. Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg, 21:5-13.
- Kim EJ, Yu JH, Kim EY (2020) Pathways linking mental health literacy to professional help-seeking intentions in Korean college students. Int J Ment Health Nurs, 27:93-405.
- Kwon H, Yoon KL, Joormann J, Kwon JH (2013) Cultural and gender differences in emotion regulation: Relation to depression. Cogn Emot, 27:769-782.
- Lee HY, Hwang J, Ball JG, Lee J, Yu Y, Albright DL (2020) Mental health literacy affects mental health attitude: Is there a gender difference? Am J Health Behav, 44:282-291.
- Mahardika HFK, Kustin K, Yuhbaba ZN (2021) The relationship between mental health literacy and stigma mental disorders in the soko village community, bagelen district, purworejo regency. International Journal of Islamic and Complementary Medicine, 2:65-70.
- Marwood MR, Hearn, JH. (2019) Evaluating mental health literacy in medical students in the United Kingdom. J Mental Health Educ,14:339-347.
- Masara T, Zirima MH. (2024) Levels of Mental Health Literacy amongst university students:findings from a university in masvingo province, zimbabwe, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8:826-837.
- Miles R, Rabin L, Krishnan A, Grandoit E, Kloskowski K (2020) Mental health literacy in a diverse sample of undergraduate students: demographic, psychological, and academic correlates. BMC Public Health, 20:1699.
- Mojtabai R, Evans-Lacko S, Schomerus G, Thornicroft G (2016) Attitudes toward mental health help seeking as predictors of future help-seeking behavior and use of mental health treatments. Psychiatr Serv, 67:650-657.
- Ozdemir S (2012) Psikolojik yardım alma tutumu ile kişilik, kendini saklama, cinsiyet rolleri arasındaki ilişkiler (Yükseklisans tezi). Ankara, Hacettepe Üniversitesi.
- Ozer D, Altun OS (2024) Nursing students' mental health literacy and resilience levels: A cross-sectional study. Arch Psychiatr Nurs, 51:222-227.
- Oztaş B, Aydogan A (2021) Assessment of mental health literacy of health professionals., J Psychiatr Nurs, 12:198-204.
- Oztaş B, Unal N, Olçer Z, Cal A, Hazır G (2023) Mental health literacy level of university students: a cross-sectional study. TOGÜ Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 3:198-214.
- Reis AC, Saheb R, Moyo T, Smith C, Sperandei S (2022) The impact of mental health literacy training programs on the mental health literacy of university students: A systematic review. Prev Sci, 23:648-662.
- Saito AS, Creedy DK (2021) Determining mental health literacy of undergraduate nursing students to inform learning and teaching strategies. Int J Ment Health Nurs, 30:1117–1126.
- Simsek B, Soykan O, Kartal A (2024) Examination of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Levels of Sports Sciences Students According to Different Variables. Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 18:106-131.
- Sinduja S (2024) A systematic review of mental health stigma and help seeking among college students. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches in Psychology, 2:224-233.
- Singh S, Zaki RA, Farid NDN, Kaur K (2022) The determinants of mental health literacy among young adolescents in malaysia. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19:3242.
- Sobhanifar F, Javanbakht S, Ahmadi Jirandeh R, Rahgoi A, Vahedi M(2025) Mental health literacy and related factors in undergraduate students of University Social welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Mental Health in School, 3:48-55.
- Softa HK, Kaya S (2013) Examination of factors affecting depression levels of health school students. Gümüşhane Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 2:214-229.
- Stanton R, Best T, Williams S, Vandelanotte C, Irwin C, Heidke P, Saito A, Rebar AL, Dwyer T., Khalesi S (2021) Associations between health behaviors and mental health in Australian nursing students, Nurse Educ Pract, 53:103084,
- Temiz M, Özdoğan B, Sayar-Hızlı G (2021) Psikolojik yardım alma tutumları, işlevsel olmayan tutumlar ve benlik saygısı ilişkisi. Uluslararası Anadolu Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 5:1056-1078.
- Topkaya N (2021) Predictors of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Turkish college students. Child Youth Serv Rev, 120:105782
- Turkum AS (2004) Developing a scale of attitudes toward seeking psychological help: validity and reliability analyses. Int J Adv Couns, 26:321-329.
- Ulken E, Odacı H (2021)The relationship between university attitudes to seeking professional psychological help and attachment styles and personality characteristics. Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 11: 87-96.
- WHO (2024) Mental Health. Url: https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_1 (Accessed 21.11.2024).
- Wong K(2016) Gender differences in mental health literacy of university students. Western Undergraduate Psychology Journal, 4(1):11.
- Yeo G, Reich SM, Liaw NA, Chia EYM (2024) The effect of digital mental health literacy interventions on mental health: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of medical Internet research, 26:e51268.
- Yıldırım M, Ozbıcakcı FŞ (2024) Investigation of the relationships between mental health literacy and help-seeking attitudes in nursing students, Nursing Trend 2024 2nd Global Submit on Nursing Education & Healthcare , Berlin, Germany.
- Zhang S, Wang W, Wu S, Ye H, Dong L, Wang J, Ning X, Cui H (2024) Analysis of the mediating effect between ehealth literacy and health self-management of undergraduate nursing students' mental health literacy. BMC Nurs,23:264.
Year 2025,
Volume: 17 Issue: Supplement 1, 100 - 110
Abstract
Amaç: Ruh Sağlığı Okuryazarlığı, ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili bilgi ve inançları tanımayı, ruhsal bozuklukları önleme ve yönetmeyi, aynı zamanda ruhsal bozukluklarda yardım arama davranışını sağlayan, sağlık okuryazarlığının bir alt kümesidir. Bu çalışma hemşirelik öğrenimine devam eden öğrencilerinin ruh sağlığı okuryazarlığı ve bağımsız değişkenlerin psikolojik yardım almaya ilişkin tutumlarına olan etkisinin incelenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır.
Yöntem: Çalışmanın örneklemini 361 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Verilerin toplanmasında Öğrencileri Tanımlayıcı Soru formu, Ruh Sağlığı Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği, Profesyonel Psikolojik Yardım Almaya İlişkin Tutum Ölçeği-Kısa Formu kullanılmıştır.
Bulgular: Ruh Sağlığı Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği puan ortalaması 16,925±3,122, Psikolojik Yardım Almaya İlişkin Tutum puan ortalaması 66,044 ±9,432’dir. Ruh Sağlığı Okuryazarlığı Psikolojik Yardım Almaya İlişkin Tutumun %20'sini açıklamaktadır. Cinsiyetin, Psikolojik Yardım Almaya İlişkin Tutum üzerinde negatif ve anlamlı bir etkisi olduğu belirlenmiştir. (B = -2,774, β = -0,130, p = 0,007). Çalışma, psikolojik yardım almayı düşünen öğrencilerin, bu konuda daha olumlu bir tutum sergilediklerini göstermiştir.
Sonuç: Bireylerin ruh sağlığı okuryazarlığı arttıkça, psikolojik yardım almaya yönelik tutumlarının da daha olumlu olduğunu, erkeklerin kadınlara göre psikolojik yardım almaya yönelik daha olumsuz bir tutuma sahip olduğunu, psikolojik yardım almayı düşünen bireylerin, bu konuda daha olumlu bir tutum sergilediklerini söyleyebiliriz. Psikolojik yardım alma düşüncesi olmayan öğrenciler ile erkek öğrencilerinin psikolojik ilk yardım alma konusunda desteklenmeleri, toplumsal cinsiyet rollerinin oluşturduğu sorunlara yönelik panel ve sempozyumların düzenlenerek öğrencilere farkındalık kazandırılması önemlidir.
Ethical Statement
Araştırmanın etik kurul onayı bir devlet üniversitesinin Yayın Etiği Kurulu'ndan 2024/30 karar numarası ile alınmıştır.
Supporting Institution
yok
Project Number
yok
Thanks
Araştırmaya Katılan öğrencilere teşekkür ederiz.
References
- Abo-Rass F, Nakash O, Abu-Kaf S (2023) A scoping review of studies examining mental health literacy among arabs worldwide. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs, 30:1245-1256.
- Abuhammad S, Hamaideh S (2022) Nursing students’ attitudes toward seeking Professional psychological help before and after attending a mental health course. Nurs Educ Perspect, 43:129-131.
- ACHA (2019) American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive Summary Spring. Silver Spring, American College Health Association.
- Arifin S, Jaafar WMW, Nor SBM, Husain Z, Omar KMS, Yasin MAS (2022) The prevalence of attitudes toward seeking counseling help among malaysian university students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12:1389-1398.
- Chen P, Liu XJ, Wang XQ, Yang BX, Ruan J, Liu Z (2020) Attitude toward seeking professional psychological help among community-dwelling population in China. Front Psychiatry, 11:417.
- Cheng HL, Wang C, McDermott RC, Kridel M, Rislin JL (2018) Self‐Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, And Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help. J Couns Dev, 96:64-74.
- Conceição V, Rothes I, Gusmão, R (2022) The association between stigmatizing attitudes towards depression and help seeking attitudes in college students. PLoS One, 17:e0263622.
- Cormier E, Park H, Schluck G (2022) college students' emental health literacy and risk of diagnosis with mental health disorders. Healthcare, 10:2406.
- De Girolamo G, Dagani J, Purcell R, Cocchi A, McGorry PD (2012) Age of on set of mental disorders and use of mental health services: needs, opportunities and obstacles. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci, 21:47–57.
- El-Hachem SS, Lakkis NA, Osman MH, Issa HG, Beshara RY (2023) University students’ intentions to seek psychological counseling, attitudes toward seeking psychological help, and stigma. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 58:1661-1674.
- Fischer EH, Turner JI (1970) Orientations to seeking professional help: Development and research utility of an attitude scale. J Consult Clin Psychol , 35:79–90.
- Fitri RR (2019) Mental Health Literacy of University Students. Psychological Research and Intervention. 2:55-64.
- Goktas S, Isıklı B, Onsuz MF, Yenilmez Ç, Metintaş S (2019) Evaluation of the validity and reliability of the mental health literacy maker (RSOY Scale) in Turkish. Konuralp Medical Journal, 11:424-431.
- Good G.E, Dell DM, Mintz LB (1989) Male role and gender role conflict: Associations with help-seeking in men. J Couns Psychol, 36:295–300.
- Göktaş A, Buldukoğlu K (2022) Ruhsal hastalığı olan bireylerin yardım arama davranışları. Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Dergisi, 4:159-164.
- Kackin O, Kılıc M, Ersin F (2023) Nursing students' self-efficacy perceptions, Health literacy levels and affecting factors. Harran Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi, 20:256-64.
- Kesgin MT, Pehlivan S, Uymaz P (2020) Turkish adaptation of the mental health literacy scale: validity and reliability study. Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg, 21:5-13.
- Kim EJ, Yu JH, Kim EY (2020) Pathways linking mental health literacy to professional help-seeking intentions in Korean college students. Int J Ment Health Nurs, 27:93-405.
- Kwon H, Yoon KL, Joormann J, Kwon JH (2013) Cultural and gender differences in emotion regulation: Relation to depression. Cogn Emot, 27:769-782.
- Lee HY, Hwang J, Ball JG, Lee J, Yu Y, Albright DL (2020) Mental health literacy affects mental health attitude: Is there a gender difference? Am J Health Behav, 44:282-291.
- Mahardika HFK, Kustin K, Yuhbaba ZN (2021) The relationship between mental health literacy and stigma mental disorders in the soko village community, bagelen district, purworejo regency. International Journal of Islamic and Complementary Medicine, 2:65-70.
- Marwood MR, Hearn, JH. (2019) Evaluating mental health literacy in medical students in the United Kingdom. J Mental Health Educ,14:339-347.
- Masara T, Zirima MH. (2024) Levels of Mental Health Literacy amongst university students:findings from a university in masvingo province, zimbabwe, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 8:826-837.
- Miles R, Rabin L, Krishnan A, Grandoit E, Kloskowski K (2020) Mental health literacy in a diverse sample of undergraduate students: demographic, psychological, and academic correlates. BMC Public Health, 20:1699.
- Mojtabai R, Evans-Lacko S, Schomerus G, Thornicroft G (2016) Attitudes toward mental health help seeking as predictors of future help-seeking behavior and use of mental health treatments. Psychiatr Serv, 67:650-657.
- Ozdemir S (2012) Psikolojik yardım alma tutumu ile kişilik, kendini saklama, cinsiyet rolleri arasındaki ilişkiler (Yükseklisans tezi). Ankara, Hacettepe Üniversitesi.
- Ozer D, Altun OS (2024) Nursing students' mental health literacy and resilience levels: A cross-sectional study. Arch Psychiatr Nurs, 51:222-227.
- Oztaş B, Aydogan A (2021) Assessment of mental health literacy of health professionals., J Psychiatr Nurs, 12:198-204.
- Oztaş B, Unal N, Olçer Z, Cal A, Hazır G (2023) Mental health literacy level of university students: a cross-sectional study. TOGÜ Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 3:198-214.
- Reis AC, Saheb R, Moyo T, Smith C, Sperandei S (2022) The impact of mental health literacy training programs on the mental health literacy of university students: A systematic review. Prev Sci, 23:648-662.
- Saito AS, Creedy DK (2021) Determining mental health literacy of undergraduate nursing students to inform learning and teaching strategies. Int J Ment Health Nurs, 30:1117–1126.
- Simsek B, Soykan O, Kartal A (2024) Examination of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Levels of Sports Sciences Students According to Different Variables. Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 18:106-131.
- Sinduja S (2024) A systematic review of mental health stigma and help seeking among college students. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches in Psychology, 2:224-233.
- Singh S, Zaki RA, Farid NDN, Kaur K (2022) The determinants of mental health literacy among young adolescents in malaysia. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19:3242.
- Sobhanifar F, Javanbakht S, Ahmadi Jirandeh R, Rahgoi A, Vahedi M(2025) Mental health literacy and related factors in undergraduate students of University Social welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Mental Health in School, 3:48-55.
- Softa HK, Kaya S (2013) Examination of factors affecting depression levels of health school students. Gümüşhane Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 2:214-229.
- Stanton R, Best T, Williams S, Vandelanotte C, Irwin C, Heidke P, Saito A, Rebar AL, Dwyer T., Khalesi S (2021) Associations between health behaviors and mental health in Australian nursing students, Nurse Educ Pract, 53:103084,
- Temiz M, Özdoğan B, Sayar-Hızlı G (2021) Psikolojik yardım alma tutumları, işlevsel olmayan tutumlar ve benlik saygısı ilişkisi. Uluslararası Anadolu Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 5:1056-1078.
- Topkaya N (2021) Predictors of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Turkish college students. Child Youth Serv Rev, 120:105782
- Turkum AS (2004) Developing a scale of attitudes toward seeking psychological help: validity and reliability analyses. Int J Adv Couns, 26:321-329.
- Ulken E, Odacı H (2021)The relationship between university attitudes to seeking professional psychological help and attachment styles and personality characteristics. Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 11: 87-96.
- WHO (2024) Mental Health. Url: https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_1 (Accessed 21.11.2024).
- Wong K(2016) Gender differences in mental health literacy of university students. Western Undergraduate Psychology Journal, 4(1):11.
- Yeo G, Reich SM, Liaw NA, Chia EYM (2024) The effect of digital mental health literacy interventions on mental health: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of medical Internet research, 26:e51268.
- Yıldırım M, Ozbıcakcı FŞ (2024) Investigation of the relationships between mental health literacy and help-seeking attitudes in nursing students, Nursing Trend 2024 2nd Global Submit on Nursing Education & Healthcare , Berlin, Germany.
- Zhang S, Wang W, Wu S, Ye H, Dong L, Wang J, Ning X, Cui H (2024) Analysis of the mediating effect between ehealth literacy and health self-management of undergraduate nursing students' mental health literacy. BMC Nurs,23:264.
There are 46 citations in total.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Mental Health Nursing |
| Journal Section | Research |
| Authors | |
| Project Number | yok |
| Early Pub Date | June 29, 2025 |
| Publication Date | |
| Submission Date | April 3, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | June 11, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 17 Issue: Supplement 1 |
|
 Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. |
