Investigating the Relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Information Literacy among Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences' Students

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Farhadpoor Mohammadreza; Ghasemi Ali Hossein; Bakhtiari Maryam

Title

Investigating the Relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Information Literacy among Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences' Students

Author(s)

Farhadpoor Mohammadreza | Ghasemi Ali Hossein | Bakhtiari Maryam | Issue Writer Certificate

Keywords

Information LiteracyQ4

Mental Health LiteracyQ4

StudentsQ4

Abadan School of Medical SciencesQ4

Abstract

Introduction: A brief look at the definitions of Information Literacy and Mental Health Literacy, as well as research in this area, suggests that there is a relationship between Information Literacy and Mental Health Literacy. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Information Literacy among Students of Abadan University of Medical Sciences.Methods: This research is a descriptive cross-sectional survey. The statistical population of this study consisted of all Students studying in Abadan University of Medical Sciences, of which 294 were selected as a statistical sample. To assess the status of Mental Health Literacy, a questionnaire based on the questionnaire of Sayarifard et al., and to assess Information Literacy, a researcher-made questionnaire based on Adsadowsky's questionnaire was used. The validity of the instruments was confirmed by experts and the reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha test (with a coefficient of 0.82 for the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire and 0.78 for the Information Literacy Questionnaire).Discussion: The results showed that the Mental Health Literacy of the Students based on the components of Mental Health Literacy is at a high level. Mental Health Literacy of female Students is higher than male Students, and Mental Health Literacy of older Students is higher than younger Students. The level of Information Literacy of the investigated Students is also, based on the components of Information Literacy, at a low level. There is also a positive and significant relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Information Literacy among the studied population.Conclusion: Training Students to increase Information Literacy and health Information Literacy with the aim of empowering them to identify problems and mental illnesses in themselves and others as soon as possible and to carry out appropriate interventions, enables them to better identify, locate and evaluate the needed information related to the identified diseases and disorders and take action appropriately.Extended abstract Introduction: Mental Health Literacy (MHL) is the skills, knowledge, and beliefs about mental disorders that help a person to recognize, prevent, manage, and improve the mental disorders. On the other hand, the lack of this kind of literacy leads to a lower rate of understanding and treatment of mental illnesses. MHL skills also include three main areas: knowledge and awareness, attitude, and help efficiency.Considering the importance of MHL in promoting the health of society, conducting studies in this field and identifying the influential and related factors with these variables shows the health systems' understanding of the importance of the impact of MHL on the pattern of using health services. Studies conducted in this field show the positive effects of MHL on mental health. Among other things, Smith and Shochet (2011) showed that MHL positively correlates with help-seeking behaviors to promote mental health. Also, Wu et al. (2014) showed that people with MHL express a better reaction to mental disorders.Nowadays, due to the expansion of the use of information and information technologies, the acquisition and application of Information Literacy (IL) have become a universal necessity. IL refers to the skills that a person needs to be able to survive in the information society. Having IL skills will help people who seek access to health information to obtain correct and appropriate information. In this regard, the relationship between IL and health literacy was examined in several studies, which show a positive and meaningful relationship between health literacy and IL.According to the relationship between IL and health literacy, it can be expected that a higher level of IL leads to a higher level of MHL. Therefore, considering the importance of MHL and IL, and the possible relationship between these two variables, examining the level of these two variables and the possible relationship between them were determined as the goals of this research. methods: The current research was conducted with a descriptive cross-sectional survey method. The statistical population of the present study included all Students of Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences (1247 people), and according to the table of Krejcie and Morgan, the statistical sample consisted of 294 people, selected using a stratified method. Two questionnaires were used to collect data: The researcher-made IL questionnaire based on the Edsadowski questionnaire (Edsadowski, no date) with a reliability of 0.83, including 20 questions in the components of identifying information needs, locating information, organizing information, and evaluating information. The MHL questionnaire was prepared based on Sayarifard et al.'s (2015) questionnaire, including 32 questions on the components of attitude, knowledge, and help efficiency. The reliability of IL dimensions was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient at 0.78, and the reliability of MHL dimensions was at 0.82, which shows good reliability.Considering the normality of the data distribution, the one-sample t-test with an average level in each variable was used to check the level of IL and MHL and their dimensions in the statistical population. Also, the independent t-test and ANOVA were used to compare the components of IL and MHL and their dimensions based on demographic characteristics, and the chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between the variables of IL and MHL and their dimensions. discussion: According to the research data, the average score of the MHL subscales, including beliefs about first aid (0.56), beliefs about interventions (0.52), recognition of the disorder (0.347), beliefs regarding prevention (0.45), attitude towards stigma and social isolation (0.468), and the primary variable of MHL (0.36) in the studied sample are significantly (p<0.001) higher than the assumed mean score (0). However, in the case of other subscales, including the intention to seek help and the understanding of obstacles (both with an average of 0.0136), this difference is not significant. There is a significant gender difference in MHL, and the results show that female Students' MHL score is higher than male Students' MHL score. Examining the MHL of Students based on age showed a significant difference in this component as well. However, Duncan's test showed no significant difference between the MHL among the Students in the age groups between 23 and 25 years old and up to 23 years old. However, there is a significant difference between the MHL of Students between 23 and 25 years old and up to 23 years old, with the Students over 26 years old. According to the research data, the average score of IL subscales, including identification and diagnosis of information needs (0.43), ability to locate information (0.34), evaluation (0.35), organization and use of information (0.36), and the primary variable of IL (0.37) in the studied sample are all significantly lower than the theoretical average score (0.5). Therefore, it can be concluded that the state of IL and its subscales were below average. Research data show a significant IL difference among the two gender groups; the IL of the male Students was higher than the female Students. The IL of Students based on age also shows a significant difference: the IL of Students over 26 years old was lower than the Students in the age groups between 23 and 25 years old and up to 23 years old.According to the research data, since the significance level value is equal to 0.001 and smaller than 0.05, there is a significant relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Information Literacy among the Students. The Pearson correlation coefficient is 0.4, which indicates a positive and direct relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Information Literacy among Students. Conclusion: According to the research findings, it is suggested: Train the Students to increase their HL and MHL, enabling them to identify mental problems and illnesses in themselves and others as soon as possible and to perform appropriate interventions.Train the Students to upgrade their IL, enabling them to better identify, locate, evaluate, and use information related to diseases and disorders.

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Scientific Information Database

ISSN: 2588-4824

Journal Paper

Investigating the Relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Information Literacy among Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences' Students