Abstract

This study compares the mental health literacy (MHL) of university students in China and the Czech Republic. MHL refers to the ability to recognize mental health problems, adjust one’s mental state and seek professional assistance. The study recruited 358 Chinese university students (244 female and 114 male) and 282 Czech university students (247 female and 35 male) and collected data through online questionnaires using the O’Connor’s MHL Scale. The results indicated that Czech students had a significantly higher level of MHL compared with Chinese students based on the total score and other subscales. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of MHL on a global scale and the potential of cross-cultural comparisons to promote MHL and improve mental health outcomes. The disparity in MHL between the two countries highlights the need for increased mental health education and resources in China. Further research is needed to explore the cultural and educational factors contributing to the difference in MHL between China and the Czech Republic.

Keywords

References

• Bjørnsen, H. N., Espnes, G. A., Eilertsen, M.-E. B., Ringdal, R., & Moksnes, U. K. (2019). The relationship between positive mental health literacy and mental well-being among adolescents: implications for school health services. The Journal of School Nursing, 35(2), 107-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059840517732125
• Brijnath, B., Protheroe, J., Mahtani, K. R., & Antoniades, J. (2016). Do web-based mental health literacy interventions improve the mental health literacy of adult consumers? Results from a systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(6), e165. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.5463
• Burns, J. R., & Rapee, R. M. (2006). Adolescent mental health literacy: young people's knowledge of depression and help seeking. Journal of Adolescence, 29(2), 225-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.05.004
• Callahan, D. (1973). The WHO definition of'health'. Hastings Center Studies, 1(3), 77-87. https://doi.org/10.2307/3527467
• Chao, H.-J., Lien, Y.-J., Kao, Y.-C., Tasi, I.-C., Lin, H.-S., & Lien, Y.-Y. (2020). Mental health literacy in healthcare students: an expansion of the mental health literacy scale. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 948. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030948
• Chen, H., Fang, X., Liu, C., Hu, W., Lan, J., & Deng, L. (2014). Associations among the number of mental health problems, stigma, and seeking help from psychological services: A path analysis model among Chinese adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 44, 356-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.07.003
• Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Elsevier Science. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
• Corrigan, P. W., Markowitz, F. E., & Watson, A. C. (2004). Structural levels of mental illness stigma and discrimination. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30(3), 481-491. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a007096
• De Wit, H. (2002). Internationalization of higher education in the United States of America and Europe: A historical, comparative, and conceptual analysis. Greenwood.
• Dunne, A. L., Gilbert, F., & Daffern, M. (2018). Elucidating the relationship between personality disorder traits and aggression using the new DSM-5 dimensional–categorical model for personality disorder. Psychology of Violence, 8(5), 615. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000144
• Eisenberg, D., Downs, M. F., Golberstein, E., & Zivin, K. (2009). Stigma and help seeking for mental health among college students. Medical Care Research and Review, 66(5), 522-541. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558709335173
• Evans-Lacko, S., Little, K., Meltzer, H., Rose, D., Rhydderch, D., Henderson, C., & Thornicroft, G. (2010). Development and psychometric properties of the mental health knowledge schedule. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(7), 440-448. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371005500707
• Furnham, A., & Swami, V. (2018). Mental health literacy: A review of what it is and why it matters. International Perspectives in Psychology, 7(4), 240-257. https://doi.org/10.1037/ipp0000094
• Guo, L., Huang, J., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Education development in China: Education return, quality, and equity. Sustainability, 11(13), 3750. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133750
• Harman, G., & Heath, J. (2017). Australian country perspective: The work of beyondblue and SANE Australia. In W. Gaebel, W. Rössler, & N. Sartorius (Eds.), The stigma of mental illness-End of the story (pp. 289-315). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27839-1_16
• Jorm, A. F. (2000). Mental health literacy: Public knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 177(5), 396-401. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.177.5.396
• Jorm, A. F. (2012). Mental health literacy: Empowering the community to take action for better mental health. American Psychologist, 67(3), 231. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025957
• Jorm, A. F. (2015). Why we need the concept of “mental health literacy”. Health Communication, 30(12), 1166-1168. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2015.1037423
• Jorm, A. F., Korten, A. E., Jacomb, P. A., Christensen, H., Rodgers, B., & Pollitt, P. (1997). “Mental health literacy”: a survey of the public's ability to recognise mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment. Medical Journal of Australia, 166(4), 182-186. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb140071.x
• Kågström, A., Pešout, O., Kučera, M., Juríková, L., & Winkler, P. (2023). Development and validation of a universal mental health literacy scale for adolescents (UMHL-A). Psychiatry Research, 320, 115031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.115031
• Kelly, C. M., Jorm, A. F., & Wright, A. (2007). Improving mental health literacy as a strategy to facilitate early intervention for mental disorders. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(7), 26-30. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01332.x
• Kim, J. E., Saw, A., & Zane, N. (2015). The influence of psychological symptoms on mental health literacy of college students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(6), 620. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000074
• Křeménková, L., Novotný, J. S., & Kvintová, J. (2021). Two waves of COVID-19 in university setting: mental health and underlying risk factors [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 780071. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.780071
• Kutcher, S., Bagnell, A., & Wei, Y. (2015). Mental health literacy in secondary schools: a Canadian approach. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 24(2), 233-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2014.11.007
• Kutcher, S., Wei, Y., & Coniglio, C. (2016). Mental health literacy: Past, present, and future. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 61(3), 154-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743715616609
• Kvintová, J., & Sigmund, M. (2012). Psychosocial Aspects of Stress in Current University Students. e-Pedagogium, 12(4), 59-69. https://doi.org/10.5507/epd.2012.050
• Kvintová, J., & Sigmund, M. (2016). Physical activity, body composition and health assessment in current female University students with active and inactive lifestyles. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 16, 627.
• Kvintova, J., Sigmund, M., & Hrebickova, H. (2014). Life satisfaction and subjective health assessment in future teachers compared with current university students of physical culture and natural science. e-Pedagogium, 14(2), 15-30. https://doi.org/10.5507/epd.2014.015
• Lian, Z., & Wallace, B. C. (2020). Prevalence of past-year mental disorders and its correlates among Chinese international students in US higher education. Journal of American College Health, 68(2), 176-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1538147
• Liang, D., Mays, V. M., & Hwang, W.-C. (2018). Integrated mental health services in China: challenges and planning for the future. Health policy and planning, 33(1), 107-122. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czx137
• Lockett, M. (1988). Culture and the problems of Chinese management. Organization studies, 9(4), 475-496. https://doi.org/10.1177/017084068800900402
• Loo, P. W., Wong, S., & Furnham, A. (2012). Mental health literacy: A cross‐cultural study from Britain, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Asia‐Pacific Psychiatry, 4(2), 113-125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-5872.2012.00198.x
• Mendenhall, A. N., & Frauenholtz, S. (2015). Predictors of mental health literacy among parents of youth diagnosed with mood disorders. Child & Family Social Work, 20(3), 300-309. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12078
• Mori, R., Uchino, T., Mizuno, M., Yamaguchi, T., Katagiri, N., & Nemoto, T. (2022). Effectiveness of a comprehensive mental health literacy educational programme for junior high school students: a randomised controlled trial examining changes in their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 12(8), 1281. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12081281
• O’Connor, M., & Casey, L. (2015). The Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS): A new scale-based measure of mental health literacy. Psychiatry research, 229(1-2), 511-516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.05.064
• Pugnerova, M., Kvintová, J., & Křeménková, L. (2018, November). Stress coping strategies in relation to selected personality traits of future primary and secondary school teachers [Paper presentation]. 11th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation Seville, Spain. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2018.2496
• Shuo, Z. (2022, July 7). More Chinese receive higher education. China Daily.com.cn. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202205/18/WS628447b5a310fd2b29e5d58d.html
• Sigmund, M., Kvintová, J., Hřebíčková, H., Šafář, M., & Sigmundová, D. (2014). Life satisfaction, health, self-evaluation and sexuality in current university students of sport sciences, education and natural sciences. Acta Gymnica, 44(4), 231-241. https://doi.org/10.5507/ag.2014.024
• Spiker, D. A., & Hammer, J. H. (2019). Mental health literacy as theory: current challenges and future directions. Journal of Mental Health, 28(3), 238-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2018.1437613
• Swami, V. (2012). Mental health literacy of depression: gender differences and attitudinal antecedents in a representative British sample. PLOS one, 7(11), e49779. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0049779
• Tay, J. L., Tay, Y. F., & Klainin-Yobas, P. (2018). Mental health literacy levels. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 32(5), 757-763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2018.04.007
• Twomey, C., O'Reilly, G., Byrne, M., Bury, M., White, A., Kissane, S., McMahon, A., & Clancy, N. A. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of the computerized CBT programme, MoodGYM, for public mental health service users waiting for interventions. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53(4), 433-450. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12055
• Wei, Y., & Kutcher, S. (2014). Innovations in practice:‘Go‐to’educator training on the mental health competencies of educators in the secondary school setting: A program evaluation. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(3), 219-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12056
• Wei, Y., McGrath, P. J., Hayden, J., & Kutcher, S. (2015). Mental health literacy measures evaluating knowledge, attitudes and help-seeking: a scoping review. BMC Psychiatry, 15(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-015-0681-9
• Wong, D. F. K., Lam, A. Y. K., Poon, A., & Chow, A. Y. M. (2012). Gender differences in mental health literacy among Chinese-speaking Australians in Melbourne, Australia. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 58(2), 178-185. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764010390431
• Zhang, Z., & Spicer, A. (2014). ‘Leader, you first’: The everyday production of hierarchical space in a Chinese bureaucracy. Human Relations, 67(6), 739-762. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726713503021

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.