Correlation between Mental Health Literacy Levels and Attitudes of Seeking Psychological Help of Health Services Vocational School Students: Descriptive Cross-sectional Research

Abstract

The aim of this study is to find the correlation between mental health literacy and psychological help-seeking attitudes of Health Services Vocational School students and to determine the socio-demographic characteristics that affect mental health literacy. The research was realized in a descriptive form at a state university in Izmir between April and May 2022. Between the specified dates, 138 students who could be reached and volunteered participated in the research. Data were collected with a questionnaire that determines sociodemographic characteristics, “Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS)”, and “Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form (ATSPPH-SF)”. Data were evaluated by using “number, mean, percentage, independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)” tests in SPSS 25 program. The students’ total MHLS score was 106.34±14.09 and the mean ATSPPH-SF score was 15.57±4.62.r While the level of knowledge about recognizing diseases and reaching professional help was found to be higher in women compared to men, “attitudes that facilitate seeking appropriate help for mental health-related diseases and attitudes towards mental health-related diseases” were found to be higher in men compared to women. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between MHLS and ATSPPH-SF. The MHL score of the students was found to be moderate and a positive relationship was found between MHLS and seeking psychological help.