Luísa Campos

Is It Possible to “Find Space for Mental Health” in Young People? Effectiveness of a School-Based Mental Health Literacy Promotion Program

Lack of knowledge regarding, and the stigma associated with, mental disorders have been identified as major obstacles for the promotion of mental health and early intervention. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention program focused on the promotion of mental health literacy (MHL) in young people (“Finding Space for Mental Health”). A sample of 543 students (22 classes), aged between 12 and 14 years old, participated in the study. Each class of students was randomly assigned to the control group (CG; n = 284; 11 classes) or the experimental group (EG; n = 259; 11 classes). MHL was assessed using the Mental Health Literacy questionnaire (MHLq), which is comprised of three dimensions—Knowledge/Stereotypes, First Aid Skills and Help Seeking, and Self-Help Strategies. The scores on these dimensions can also be combined to give an overall or total score. Participants from the EG attended the MHL promotion program (two sessions, 90 min each) delivered at one-week intervals. Sessions followed an interactive methodology, using group dynamics, music, and videos adapted to the target group. All participants responded to the MHLq at three points in time: pre-intervention assessment (one week prior to the intervention), post-intervention assessment (one week after the intervention) and follow-up assessment (six months after the intervention). The intervention effectiveness and the differential impact of sociodemographic variables on the effectiveness of the program were studied using a Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE). Results revealed that participants from the EG demonstrated, on average, significantly higher improvement in MHL from pre-intervention to follow-up when compared to participants from the CG. Different sociodemographic variables affected the effectiveness of the program on distinct dimensions of the MHLq. Overall, “Finding Space for Mental Health” showed efficacy as a short-term promotion program for improving MHL in schools.

Development and Psychometric Properties of a New Questionnaire for Assessing Mental Health Literacy in Young People

r e s u m e n Objetivos: Varios instrumentos evalúan constructos relacionados con conocimientos sobre la salud mental y al estigma asociado con problemas de salud mental. Sin embargo, la mayoría de ellos tienen conceptualizaciones que pueden limitar la apreciación del concepto de alfabetización de la salud mental de una manera más actual y exhaustiva. Por otra parte, la estructura de algunos de los instrumentos puede limitar su uso en muestras a gran escala, en un corto período de tiempo y con medidas repetidas. Este artículo presenta el desarrollo del cuestionario de alfabetización en salud mental (MHLq) y los estudios para evaluar sus propiedades psicométricas. Método: Después de la generación de ítems, la validez de contenido fue evaluada por expertos y por un procedimiento think aloud. El MHLq ha sido testado en dos muestras de estudiantes (estudio 1 n = 239; con edades comprendidas entre los 12 y 15 años de edad; estudio 2 doi: 10.11144/Javeriana.upsy15-2.dppq Artículo de investigación. Financed by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (PTDC/PSI-PCL/112526/2009) . Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the support from Anthony Jorm (consultant of the research project), António Fonseca, Raquel Matos, Maria Xavier, Vânia Sousa Lima, Bárbara César Machado (expertsin Psychology), and the schools where data collection occurred, as well as their boards, teachers and students. The study was awarded a grant from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (PTDC/PSI-PCL/112526/2009) and is part of the Finding Space to Mental Health project Promoting mental health in adolescents (12-14 years old): development and evaluation of an intervention – developed by the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Catholic University of Portugal, in partnership with ENCONTRAR+SE – Association for the promotion of mental health. ** Assistant Professor Faculty of Education and Psychology. Correo electrónico: mcampos@porto.ucp.pt *** Assistant Professor Faculty of Education and Psychology. Correo electrónico: pdias@porto.ucp.pt **** Lecturer Faculty of Education and Psychology. Correo electrónico: fpalha@porto.ucp.pt ***** Research assistant Faculty of Education and Psychology. Correo electrónico: psic_anaduarte@ gmail.com ****** Assistant Professor Faculty of Education and Psychology. Correo electrónico: eveiga@porto.ucp.pt Luísa Campos, pedro dias, FiLipa paLha, ana duarte, eLisa Veiga 62 Un i v e r s i ta s Ps yc h o l o g i c a V. 15 No. 2 a B r i l-j U n io 2016 n = 737; edades comprendidas entre los 11 y 17 años de edad) para determinar sus propiedades psicométricas. Resultados: los procedimientos de análisis factorial indicaron una solución de tres factores (con 33 elementos) del MHLq. El cuestionario mostró una buena consistencia interna (puntuación total α = 0,84; Factor 1 técnicas de primeros auxilios y la búsqueda de ayuda α = 0.79; Factor 2 de conocimientos / estereotipos α = 0.78; Factor 3 estrategias de autoayuda α = 0,72); y una excelente fiabilidad test-retest, la CCI para la puntuación total de MHLq fue de 0,88 y para las tres dimensiones del MHLq fue de 0,80 (factor 1), 0,90 (factor 2) y 0,86 (factor 3). Conclusiones: El MHLq es una herramienta práctica, válida y fiable para la identificación de lagunas en los conocimientos, las creencias y las intenciones de comportamiento, en muestras grandes, lo que permite el desarrollo y la evaluación de las intervenciones destinadas a promover la salud mental en los jóvenes. Palabras clave Cuestionario; propiedades psicométricas; alfabetización en salud mental; jóvenes

Mental Health Literacy in Young Adults: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire

Mental health literacy (MHL) is considered a prerequisite for early recognition and intervention in mental disorders, and for this reason, it has become a focus of research over the past few decades. Assessing this construct is relevant for identifying knowledge gaps and erroneous beliefs concerning mental health issues, to inform the development of interventions aimed at promoting mental health literacy as well as the evaluation of these interventions. Recently, we developed a new self-reporting measure (MHLq) for assessing mental health literacy in young people (12–14 years-old), meeting the need to assess MHL from a comprehensive perspective of the construct instead of focusing on a restricted number of mental disorders or specific dimensions (e.g., knowledge concerning specific disorders; stigma). The present study aimed to adapt the MHLq for the young adult population and to examine its psychometric properties, according to the following steps: (1) item adaptation, using a think aloud procedure (n = 5); (2) data collection (n = 356, aged between 18 and 25 years old; and (3) psychometric analyses (exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency analysis). The final version of the questionnaire included 29 items (total scale α = 0.84), organized by four dimensions: (1) knowledge of mental health problems (α = 0.74); (2) erroneous beliefs/stereotypes (α = 0.72); (3) help-seeking and first aid skills (α = 0.71); and (4) self-help strategies (α = 0.60). The results suggest that the MHLq-adult form is a practical, valid, and reliable screening tool for identifying gaps in knowledge, beliefs, and behavioral intentions related to mental health and mental disorders, planning promotion programs, and evaluating intervention effectiveness.