Understanding mental health: The synergy of mental health literacy, stigma, and empathy in Saudi nursing education

ABSTRACT Background: The cultural context of Saudi Arabia shapes attitudes toward mental health, highlighting the need to address stigma and cultivate emotional empathy among nursing professionals. Aims: The study aims to investigate the relationships between mental health literacy, mental illness stigma, and emotional empathy among Saudi nursing students. Methods: A descriptive correlational cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire administered to nursing students at Qassim University. The study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines for reporting cross-sectional research. Participants included female nursing students, recruited via convenience sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire comprising sociodemographic characteristics, the Mental Health Literacy Scale, the Devaluation of Consumers’ Family Scale, and the Multidimensional Emotional Empathy Scale. Statistical Methods Used and Results: Participants showed a good ability to recognize mental health disorders and reasonable knowledge of information sources (mean = 11.46) and professional help (mean = 9.36). Higher mental health literacy correlated positively with emotional empathy and negatively with mental health stigma, suggesting increased knowledge may lead to more compassionate and less stigmatizing attitudes. Conclusion: The study participants demonstrated moderate levels of mental health literacy, stigma toward individuals with mental health conditions, and multidimensional emotional empathy; additionally, there were statistically significant relationships among the study variables.