Mental health literacy and quality of life in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Mental health is one of the effective factors in the quality of life of people. The aim of the present study was to determine the status of mental health literacy (MHL) and its relationship with the quality of life across the Iranian general population. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a multi-stage sampling method was used to survey 1070 participants from the city of Gonabad (Iran). The data collection tools were demographics section, mental health literacy scale (MHLS), and quality of life (SF-12) questionnaires. The data was analyzed by SPSS software version 24 using Independent sample t- test, One- way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and logistic regression. Results The mean and standard deviation of the total scores of MHL and quality of life were 113.54 (10.34) and 35.26 (6.42), respectively. The results revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between MHL and the quality of life (p < 0.001). In this study, there was a significant relationship between variables of sex, level of education, plus received information about mental illness and MHL (p < 0.001). The quality of life was higher in participants whose family members did not have a mental illness, had a high-income level, and received information about mental illness (p < 0.001). Logistic regression indicated that there was a significant relationship between the ability to recognize mental disorders plus knowledge of where to seek information and obtaining information related to mental health (p < 0.001). Conclusion Based on the results of this study, there was a correlation between health literacy and quality of life, and more attention should be paid to MHL. Thus, appropriate programs should be designed and implemented to enhance the level of MHL.

Association of Social Support and Mental Health Literacy with Quality of Life among University Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…It is likely that students who are equipped with information about mental health, and who seek help regarding mental health have a significantly higher quality of life. This conclusion is consistent with a study of Jafari et al (2021), who found that mental health literacy enhances QoL. Similarly, Ran et al (2018) found a significant relationship between health literacy and quality of life.…”

“…The quality of life is reflected in the dimensions of physical and mental health as influenced by various economic, social, mental, and physical factors (Goodyear et al, 2021;Jafari et al, 2021). Observance of mental health literacy (MHL) is one of the most important strategies to reducing mental health disorders (Renwick et al, 2022).…”

“…According to Lam (2014), individuals with low or deficient levels of MHL tend to have poorer mental health outcomes and an increased risk of developing mental health disorders. Jafari et al (2021) have found that those who are equipped with information about mental illness have a significantly higher quality of life. Similarly, found that health literacy in the mental, functional and social aspects significantly was positively linked to the quality of life of Norwegian adolescents.…”

Positive Mental Health Literacy: A Concept Analysis

“…A recent systematic review found a positive effect of school-based educational interventions on improving mental health literacy (MHL) in adolescents ( Olyani et al, 2021 ). The evidence has also underlined the need to promote MHL throughout the life span and in different contexts ( Morgado et al, 2021b ), because it increases the quality of life of people ( Jafari et al, 2021 ).…”

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) among undergraduate and graduate students in the medical field

“…Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity have been demonstrated. Since the MHLS was developed in 2015, it has been used to measure MHL in various countries, and the MHLS has also been reported to be positively correlated with help-seeking (General Help-Seeking Questionnaire; GHSQ) 18) and quality of life (SF-12) 19) . Furthermore, the MHLS has been translated into Vietnamese 20) , Persian 21) , Arabic 22) , and Chinese 23) .…”