Presenter: Anna Hall, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, Human development and family studies
Authors: Anna Hall. Heather Kelley, Ty Aller, and Elizabeth Fauth
Faculty Advisor: Elizabeth Fauth, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, Human development
Institution: Utah State University
Objective: Given previous research linking childhood socio-economic status (SES) with mental health issues in college students, we were interested in exploring the associations between childhood SES and mental health literacy, defined as knowledge and beliefs which contribute to the recognition and prevention of mental illness. Method: Data came from a sample of 845 college students. Approximately two-thirds of the sample came from a large western University and the remaining participants were college students from across the US collected through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants were asked about their childhood SES (whether they had no financial concern, some financial concern, or struggled financially growing up). The Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy Assessment Tool (MHAA-AT) was used to measure participants mental health literacy in three domains: Knowledge, Self-Efficacy and Behavior. Results: Using a regression analysis which accounted for several demographic variables, we found no significant differences between the three SES groups and the knowledge and self-efficacy domains, but we did find that those who reported they struggled financially were significantly more likely to score higher on the behavior domain when compared to those who reported no financial struggles growing up. Implications: Patterson’s (1988) family adjustment and adaptation response model posits that various stressors, such as low SES, can lead to either bonadaptation or maladaptation. Our results suggest that struggling financially as a child may be associated with more positive mental health literacy behaviors.