Hellstern, Rylan; Fauth, Elizabeth; Aller, Ty (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Fauth, Elizabeth (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Human Development and Family Studies Department); Aller, Ty (Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services, Human Development and Family Studies Department)
Mental health literacy (MHL), defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid in recognition, management, and prevention of mental health disorders, is crucial in promoting mental health prevention rather than just intervention (Jorm et al., 1997). MHL is low among the public (Klineberg et al., 2011), varying demographically (Reavley et al., 2011), and is low in college populations (Vasquez, 2016). This is concerning, considering rates of mental health issues among students (Storrie, et al., 2010). One interesting population are students who have had mental health diagnoses and/or who receive therapy. These students may be vulnerable due to their own mental health issues, but also may have increased MHL due to experience and educative supportive services. I hypothesize that students with prior diagnoses and/or therapy will be more likely to recognize mental health issues, feel confident about helping others, and act on that confidence (high MHL). In the current study, Amazon's Mechanical Turk was used to collect MHL data from college students across the US (N=306; ages 18-25; 52.6% female; 44.8% male, 2.6% other). Nineteen percent (N=58) reported receiving therapy over the past three months, while 113 (36.9%) reported having a mental health diagnosis over their lifetime. MHL was measured via the Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy Assessment Tool (MHAA-AT), assessing MHL Knowledge (subscales Identifying, Locating resources, Responding), MHL Self-efficacy, and MHL Responding behaviors. Independent samples t-tests (p<.05) indicated that students in therapy had higher average MHAA-AT Knowledge [Identifying], Self-efficacy, and Responding behaviors. Students with history of a mental health diagnosis had higher MHAA-AT Knowledge [Identifying, Locating], Self-efficacy, and Responding behaviors. In conclusion, students with history of diagnosis or in therapy may be a resource to universities, due to their higher MHL, including greater knowledge about mental health issues, confidence surrounding MHL, and the willingness to respond and refer.