The Association Between Mental Health Literacy of Parents and Referral of Children and Adolescents to Mental Health Service Centers

Background: Mental health literacy refers to an individual’s knowledge and beliefs about mental health, which can aid in the detection, management, and prevention of mental illnesses. Prompt diagnosis of mental disorders is crucial for timely intervention and treatment. This study aims to investigate the mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviors of parents with children and adolescents under the age of 18. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, a cross-sectional design was utilized, and a surveying method was employed. A total of 134 parents of children and adolescents under 18, who were referred to the mental health service centers at Iran University of Medical Sciences and private psychiatric clinics in 2019 and 2020, participated in the study through convenient sampling. Two psychiatrists evaluated the psychiatric disorders of the children, and the parents completed the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 24. Results: The results of the one-way analysis of variance indicated that the total score of mental health literacy significantly differed among groups with varying levels of maternal education (p=0.001). Conclusion: This study underscores the impact of maternal education on mental health literacy among parents. Notably, parents with higher levels of education exhibited greater mental health literacy. It is essential to consider these findings in developing targeted interventions to improve mental health literacy among parents from diverse educational backgrounds. Further research should explore effective strategies for increasing awareness and knowledge about mental health in communities with varying levels of education.