IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i1p825-d1022450.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Predictors of Mental Health Literacy among Parents, Guardians, and Teachers of Adolescents in West Malaysia

Author

Listed:
  • Picholas Kian Ann Phoa

    (Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia)

  • Asrenee Ab Razak

    (Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia)

  • Hue San Kuay

    (Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia)

  • Anis Kausar Ghazali

    (Biostatistics and Research Methodology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia)

  • Azriani Ab Rahman

    (Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia)

  • Maruzairi Husain

    (Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia)

  • Raishan Shafini Bakar

    (Department of Psychiatry, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia)

  • Firdaus Abdul Gani

    (Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital, Temerloh 28000, Pahang, Malaysia)

Abstract

Parents, guardians, and teachers are the informal sources of mental health support that adolescents rely on. Nevertheless, limited mental health knowledge limits their ability and confidence in providing appropriate assistance. This study aims to (1) evaluate the relationship between the roles of parents/guardians and teachers and their responses to discover the common misconceptions on mental health among those providing informal support to adolescents and (2) determine which demographic factors would act as the strongest predictor influencing their mental health literacy (MHL) status. The cross-sectional study recruited 867 parents, guardians, and teachers of adolescents from 24 government secondary schools’ parent–teacher associations via multistage stratified random sampling. Parents, guardians, and teachers’ MHL were evaluated using the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule—Malay Version (MAKS-M). The collected data were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi-squared test to investigate the association between the respondents’ roles and responses. Multiple Regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of MHL. The score of MAKS-M for the current study sample is 73.03% (M = 43.82, SD = 4.07). Most respondents responded incorrectly on Items 1 (employment), 6 (help-seeking), 8 (stress), and 12 (grief). Teachers provided more favorable responses on several items than parents and guardians. Finally, younger age, higher income, knowing someone with mental disorders, and having experience of attending formal training on mental health first aid were the significant predictors of MHL. MHL interventions in Malaysia should cater to older adults of lower socioeconomic status and lesser experience in mental health, specifically highlighting the stigmas on mental health help-seeking behaviors, treatment, and employment concerns, plus the recognition of various mental health diagnoses.

Suggested Citation

  • Picholas Kian Ann Phoa & Asrenee Ab Razak & Hue San Kuay & Anis Kausar Ghazali & Azriani Ab Rahman & Maruzairi Husain & Raishan Shafini Bakar & Firdaus Abdul Gani, 2023. "Predictors of Mental Health Literacy among Parents, Guardians, and Teachers of Adolescents in West Malaysia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-13, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:1:p:825-:d:1022450
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/825/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/825/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moon, Jungrim & Williford, Anne & Mendenhall, Amy, 2017. "Educators' perceptions of youth mental health: Implications for training and the promotion of mental health services in schools," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 384-391.
    2. S.M. Razali & M.A.M. Najib, 2000. "Help-Seeking Pathways Among Malay Psychiatric Patients," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 46(4), pages 281-289, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mohd Izzuddin Hairol & Sha’ari Ahmad & Sharanjeet Sharanjeet-Kaur & Lei Hum Wee & Fauziah Abdullah & Mahadir Ahmad, 2021. "Incidence and predictors of postpartum depression among postpartum mothers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: A cross-sectional study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-12, November.
    2. Jeroen W. Knipscheer & Rolf J. Kleber, 2005. "Help-Seeking Behaviour Regarding Mental Health Problems of Mediterranean Migrants in the Netherlands: Familiarity with Care, Consultation Attitude and Use of Services," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 51(4), pages 372-382, December.
    3. Tarek Assad & Tarek Okasha & Hisham Ramy & Tamer Goueli & Hanan El-Shinnawy & Mohamed Nasr & Heba Fathy & Dalia Enaba & Dina Ibrahim & Mahmoud Elhabiby & Nesreen Mohsen & Sherien Khalil & Mohamed Fekr, 2015. "Role of traditional healers in the pathway to care of patients with bipolar disorder in Egypt," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 61(6), pages 583-590, September.
    4. Anitha Jeyagurunathan & Edimansyah Abdin & Saleha Shafie & Peizhi Wang & Sherilyn Chang & Hui Lin Ong & Restria Fauziana Abdul Rahman & Vathsala Sagayadevan & Ellaisha Samari & Yi Chian Chua & Janhavi, 2018. "Pathways to care among psychiatric outpatients in a tertiary mental health institution in Singapore," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 64(6), pages 554-562, September.
    5. Tarek Okasha & Nivert Zaki & Marwa Abd El Meguid & Marwa El-Missiry & Walaa Sabry & Mostafa Kamel Ismaeil & Samar M Fouad, 2016. "Duration of untreated psychosis in an Egyptian sample: Sociodemographic and clinical variables," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 62(7), pages 661-671, November.
    6. Wendy Diana Shoesmith & Awang Faisal Bin Awang Borhanuddin & Pauline Yong Pau Lin & Ahmad Faris Abdullah & Norhayati Nordin & Beena Giridharan & Dawn Forman & Sue Fyfe, 2018. "Reactions to symptoms of mental disorder and help seeking in Sabah, Malaysia," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 64(1), pages 49-55, February.
    7. Lindy Beukema & Janne M. Tullius & Lies Korevaar & Jacomijn Hofstra & Sijmen A. Reijneveld & Andrea F. de Winter, 2022. "Promoting Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors by Mental Health Literacy Interventions in Secondary Education? Needs and Perspectives of Adolescents and Educational Professionals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-13, September.
    8. Shaden Adel & Karim Abdel Aziz & Dina El Tabei & Noha Adel Mahfouz & Dina Aly El-Gabry, 2023. "Patterns and factors associated with consulting traditional healers on the care pathway of psychiatric patients in the United Arab Emirates," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(5), pages 1202-1212, August.
    9. Alean Al-Krenawi & John R. Graham & Yasmin Z. Dean & Nada Eltaiba, 2004. "Cross-National Study of Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Help: Jordan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Arabs in Israel," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 50(2), pages 102-114, June.
    10. Irene Chung, 2010. "Changes in the Sociocultural Reality of Chinese Immigrants: Challenges and Opportunities in Help-Seeking Behaviour," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 56(4), pages 436-447, July.
    11. Harris K Chilale & Ndumanene Devlin Silungwe & Saulos Gondwe & Charles Masulani-Mwale, 2017. "Clients and carers perception of mental illness and factors that influence help-seeking: Where they go first and why," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 63(5), pages 418-425, August.
    12. Mona Ibrahim Awaad & Nesreen Mohsen Ibrahim & Rehab Mohamed Naguib & Sherien Ahmed Khalil & Mahmoud Elhabiby & Zainab Khaled Mohamed, 2020. "Role of traditional healers in the pathway to care of patients with schizophrenia in Egypt," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(4), pages 382-388, June.
    13. Kristian L Toftegaard & Lea Nørgreen Gustafsson & Richard Uwakwe & Ulla A Andersen & Thomas Becker & Graziella Giacometti Bickel & Bernhard Bork & Joachim Cordes & Karel Frasch & Bent Ascanius Jacobs, 2015. "Where are patients who have co-occurring mental and physical diseases located?," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 61(5), pages 456-464, August.
    14. Michael Galvin & William Byansi & Lesley Chiwaye & Zoleka Luvuno & Aneesa Moolla, 2023. "Pathways to care among patients with mental illness at two psychiatric facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(8), pages 2059-2067, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:1:p:825-:d:1022450. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.