Date

4-7-2023

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Jennifer Weniger

Keywords

mental health literacy, adolescent mental health, help-seeking, mental health stigma

Disciplines

Educational Psychology

Abstract

Having an understanding of mental health literacy in rural based adolescents is essential for creating change in levels of knowledge, beliefs about mental health, and help-seeking behaviors. The Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) is a self-report measure of mental health literacy. This study used the MHLS to measure mental health literacy in rural students ages 14-17 and in Grades 9–12. Results from this study can help researchers understand the relationships between mental health literacy, age, gender, and stigma. A sample of 120 participants was used for this study. Participants' guardians were asked to complete a consent form, and participants completed the mental health literacy scale survey. Four research questions were evaluated in this study using both the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney test. Descriptive statistics were also run to evaluate important data relevant to this study. Four research questions were analyzed for this study, and four hypotheses were considered. After data collection and data analysis, it was found that only one hypothesis was supported.

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