Publication:

Mental health awareness and literacy among health university students in Southern Karnataka

Background Mental health awareness and literacy among university students are increasingly important as enrolment in higher education rises. Health university students represent the future healthcare workforce, making their understanding of mental health a critical indicator.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2023 among first- and second-year students of the JSS Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Colleges, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru. Universal sampling was adopted: all 828 eligible students were invited, and 348 (42.0%) completed the survey. Data were collected through a Google Form containing a socio-demographic proforma, a self-designed 17-item Mental Health Awareness Scale (MHAS) (Cronbach’s α=0.78) and the 35-item Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS). Scores were categorised as low or high using the overall mean, and associations were tested using the chi-square test.

Results Of the 348 participants, 57.5% were female and 56.0% were aged 17-19 years; Pharmacy students formed the largest group (44.8%). Medical students had the highest mean mental health awareness (68.76±6.84) and literacy (118.19±13.12) scores. Age, gender and course of study were significantly associated with both mental health awareness and literacy (p<0.05); older students and male students more often had high scores, and Pharmacy students had the lowest proportion with high scores.

Conclusions Overall mental health awareness and literacy among health university students were satisfactory, but important gaps persist, particularly among younger students, indicating the need for structured mental health education early in health professional curricula.