Mental Health Knowledge, Belief Towards Mental Illness and Psychological Well-Being among Adolescents

In recent years, adolescent mental health has received a lot of attention and has become a serious public health issue that needs to be properly addressed. A persistent negative attitude and social rejection towards people with mental illness has prevailed throughout history in every context. It is considered that problem exist because of lack of knowledge, negative attitudes and exclusion. A focus on good mental health knowledge and attitude can have positive effects on adolescents’ psychological well-being. The present research focus on studying the relationship between mental health knowledge, belief towards mental illness and psychological well-being among adolescence. The sample of the research consist of 120 students (60 male, 60 female) aged between 14-18, currently studying in Bangalore, Karnataka. The study explores the relationship between mental health knowledge, belief towards mental illness and psychological well-being among adolescents and gender differences. The scales used are Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ), The Belief towards Mental Illness (BMI) scale and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB), 42 item version. The data was analysed using Pearson Correlation and Independent sample t-test on SPSS. The findings of the study indicate relationship between mental health knowledge and belief towards mental illness, mental health knowledge and psychological well-being and significant gender difference in belief towards mental illness. The study concludes that higher levels of mental health knowledge can reduce negative attitude towards mental illness and promote a better psychological well-being. The study suggest that school based educational programs which considers the incorporation of mental health education into existing curricula can be beneficial.