Ann, Picholas Phoa Kian
(2023)
Mental health literacy and its associated factors among parents and
teachers of secondary school students in peninsular Malaysia.
Masters thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Abstract
The increase in mental health and suicide issues among adolescents calls for
the need to improve the parents, caregivers, and teachers’ mental health literacy
(MHL) and suicide literacy (SL) to ensure adequate knowledge to provide initial
mental health support. The current study aimed to evaluate the levels of mental health
and suicide literacies and identify their associated demographic factors. The crosssectional
study recruited 867 participants (parents and teachers) across 24 government
secondary schools in West Malaysia sampled via a multistage stratified cluster
sampling method. The current study used the 12-item Malay Mental Health
Knowledge Schedule (MAKS-M) and the 26-item Malay Literacy of Suicide Scale
(M-LOSS) to assess mental health and suicide literacies. The mean score of overall
MHL for the current study sample was 43.82 (SD = 4.07). Study results showed
significant mean differences between sexes, religions, education levels, income
brackets, had known someone with a mental disorder, had assisted someone with a
mental illness, and attended formal training for psychological first aid. Participants
who scored higher on their MHL level tend to be female, had known someone with a
mental disorder, had assisted someone with a mental disorder, and attended formal
psychological first aid training. Upon regression, age, income brackets, knowing
someone with mental disorder, and attended formal psychological first aid training
were the significant predictors of MHL. As for the SL, the current population scored
54.0% (M = 14.05, SD = 2.61), with the highest rate of correct responses on the treatment and prevention subscale, followed by the risk factors subscale, signs and
symptoms subscale, and the lowest in the causes and nature subscale. The mean score
difference was found to be significant between school types. There is a significant
negative correlation between age and mean SL score, and age was the unique predictor
of SL level. Finally, no significant association was found between MHL and SL. The
study findings can be used as a foundation for MHL and SL research among the local
Malaysian community to guide the development of effective evidence-based
intervention programmes for mental health and suicide.
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