Mental Health Knowledge and Adolescent Stigma: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between Mental Health Knowledge and Peer Mental Health Stigmatization of adolescents. METHODOLOGY: This study employed a descriptive and correlational research design. Approximately 300 students from six junior high schools were selected by multi-stage random sampling as samples. The students' peer mental health stigmatization was measured using the 24 statements on the Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale (PMHSS), and their knowledge of mental health was collected using the 31 statements on the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire (MHLq). The data was analyzed using frequency, mean, standard deviation, and Chi-Square Test. RESULTS: According to the Chi-Square Test, students' mental health knowledge and peer mental health stigmatization have a significant correlation (p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a significant correlation between mental health knowledge and peer mental health stigmatization among adolescents. The findings reveal that adolescents with higher levels of mental health knowledge are less likely to stigmatize peers facing mental health challenges. This suggests that increasing mental health literacy can play a crucial role in reducing peer mental health stigmatization. This result highlights the importance of mental health education programs to elevate the understanding and awareness of adolescents toward their mental health condition through psychosocial interventions and public awareness campaigns to reduce students' peer stigma.