Validation of the Turkish Version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale

Abstract

This study aimed to adapt the MHL scale and research the measurement properties of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHL). The calibration research used a sample of Turkish participants (n = 633) aged 18 and older, resulting in a 19-item scale with three factors. The second sample of Turkish participants (n = 810), the validation research, convergent and divergent validity, and correlational and test-retest reliability was performed. Using the AMOS 26 and SPSS 25 for MAC, respectively, confirmatory factorial analysis and exploratory factor analysis were carried out. The adaption of the MHL to Turkish revealed a three-category structure: knowledge orientation, beliefs orientation, and resource orientation. The confirmatory factorial analysis disclosed that the model with three-factor was satisfactory fit values. The Mental Health Literacy Scale seems to be a vigorous and reliable tool for assessing the degree of knowledge orientation, belief orientation, and resource orientation to MHL in Turkish culture.