The Effectiveness of Mental Health Literacy Curriculum among Undergraduate Public Health Students

Hsuan-Jung Lai, Yin-Ju Lien, Kai-Ren Chen and Yu-Kai Lin
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Hsuan-Jung Lai: Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Heping East Road Section 1, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Yin-Ju Lien: Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Heping East Road Section 1, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Kai-Ren Chen: Department of Public Health, Fu Jen Catholic University, 510, Zhongzheng Road, New Taipei 242, Taiwan
Yu-Kai Lin: Department of Health and Welfare, University of Taipei, 101, Zhongcheng Road Section 2, Taipei 111, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: Mental health literacy (MHL) plays an important role in public health. Improving MHL can promote mental health at the individual and public levels. To date, no published studies have assessed the effectiveness of MHL curriculum interventions among undergraduate public health students. The participants in this study were undergraduate public health students ( n = 48) who were enrolled in an 18-week MHL curriculum for 100 min per week. MHL was assessed using the Mental Health Literacy Scale for Healthcare Students. A paired sample t -test was performed to examine the immediate and delayed effects of the MHL curriculum. The total MHL score significantly improved, and a moderate effect size was found directly after the intervention and six weeks later. There were significant differences in the recognition of mental illness ( p < 0.01), help-seeking efficacy ( p < 0.05), and help-seeking attitude ( p < 0.05) in the five components of MHL between pre- and post-test. Furthermore, significant improvements were obtained for the maintenance of positive mental health ( p < 0.05) and reduction of mental illness stigma ( p < 0.001) between the pre-test and follow-up. Our findings provide evidence for the development and implementation of an MHL curriculum for public health education.

Keywords: mental health literacy; curriculum-based intervention; school-based program; public health education; university students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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