Table 2.
Mental health literacy scale subsections among medical and non-medical students
| Mental Health Literacy Indicators | Medical Mean (SD) | Non-medical Mean (SD) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factor 1: Attitude toward mental illness | |||
| Q14. Belief that mental illness signifies personal weakness.* | 3.97 (1.200) | 3.50 (1.372) | < 0.05 |
| Q15. Perception of mental illness as not a real medical condition. * | 4.72 (0.798) | 4.56 (0.955) | < 0.05 |
| Q16. View of people with mental illness as dangerous. * | 3.51 (1.119) | 3.58 (1.088) | 0.160 |
| Q17. Tendency to avoid people with mental illness. * | 4.27 (0.973) | 4.21 (1.068) | 0.219 |
| Q18 Reluctance to disclose one’s own mental illness. * | 3.50 (1.227) | 3.45 (1.253) | 0.766 |
| Q19. Belief that seeing a mental health professional indicates weakness. * | 4.42 (1.085) | 4.10 (1.324) | < 0.05 |
| Q20. Unwillingness to seek professional help for mental illness. * | 4.21 (1.118) | 4.03 (1.182) | < 0.05 |
| Q21. Skepticism about the effectiveness of professional mental health treatment. * | 4.26 (0.972) | 3.92 (1.154) | < 0.05 |
| Factor 2: Attitude to someone with mental illness | |||
| Q22. How willing would you be to move next door to someone with a mental illness? | 2.72 (0.995) | 2.93 (1.037) | < 0.05 |
| Q23. How willing would you be to spend an evening socializing with someone with a mental illness? | 3.25 (1.126) | 3.49 (1.104) | < 0.05 |
| Q24. How willing would you be to make friends with someone with a mental illness? | 3.21 (1.093) | 3.43 (1.122) | < 0.05 |
| Q25. How willing would you be to have someone with a mental illness start working closely with you on a job? | 3.29 (1.033) | 3.41 (1.084) | 0.034 |
| Q26. How willing would you be to have someone with a mental illness marry into your family? | 2.29 (1.045) | 2.49 (1.130) | < 0.05 |
| Q27. How willing would you be to vote for a politician if you knew they had suffered a mental illness? | 2.32 (1.191) | 2.32 (1.282) | < 0.05 |
| Q28. How willing would you be to employ someone if you knew they had a mental illness? | 3.05 (1.051) | 3.07 (1.078) | 0.897 |
| Factor 3: Recognition of disorders | |||
| Q1. If someone became extremely nervous or anxious… to what extent do you think it is likely they have Social Phobia? | 3.27 (0.712) | 3.17 (0.830) | < 0.05 |
| Q2. If someone experienced excessive worry… to what extent do you think it is likely they have Generalized Anxiety Disorder? | 3.60 (0.684) | 3.44 (0.739) | < 0.05 |
| Q3. If someone experienced a low mood for two or more weeks… to what extent do you think it is likely they have Major Depressive Disorder? | 3.14 (0.783) | 2.99 (0.837) | < 0.05 |
| Q4. To what extent do you think it is likely that Personality Disorders are a category of mental illness? | 3.32 (0.791) | 3.11 (0.868) | < 0.05 |
| Q5. To what extent do you think it is likely that Dysthymia is a disorder? | 3.18 (0.798) | 3.05 (0.842) | < 0.05 |
| Q6. To what extent do you think it is likely that the diagnosis of Agoraphobia…? | 2.94 (0.896) | 2.84 (0.975) | < 0.05 |
| Q7. To what extent do you think it is likely that the diagnosis of bipolar disorder…? | 3.13 (0.868) | 2.94 (0.909) | < 0.05 |
| Q8. To what extent do you think it is likely that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)…? | 3.46 (0.747) | 3.26 (0.838) | < 0.05 |
| Q9. To what extent… mental health professional to break confidentiality: if you are at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others? * | 1.56 (0.867) | 1.77 (1.003) | < 0.05 |
| Factor 4: Mental illness information-seeking | |||
| Q10. I am confident that I know where to seek information about in mental illness. | 3.38 (1.133) | 3.09 (1.111) | < 0.05 |
| Q11. I am confident using the computer or telephone to seek information about mental illness. | 3.64 (1.097) | 3.64 (1.139) | 0.316 |
| Q12. I am confident attending face to face appointments to seek information about mental illness (e.g., seeing the GP). | 3.54 (1.227) | 3.67 (1.258) | < 0.05 |
| Q13. I am confident I have access to resources (e.g., GP, internet, friends) that I can use to seek information about mental illness. | 3.77 (1.098) | 3.73 (1.111) | 0.109 |
| Overall mental health literacy (combined score of all factors) | 93.18 (11.13) | 94.93 (10.75) | 0.16 |
*Reverse scored questions