OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of gender on mental health literacy in young people between 12 and 25 years of age. DESIGN: Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing was employed to conduct a cross-sectional structured interview focusing on young people's awareness of depression and psychosis. PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 1207 young Australians (539 males and 668 females) between the ages of 12-25 recruited from two metropolitan and two regional areas within Victoria. Six hundred and six respondents were presented a depression vignette and 601 were presented a psychosis vignette. RESULTS: Female respondents (60.7%) were significantly more likely to correctly identify depression in the vignette as compared to male respondents (34.5%). No significant gender differences were noted for the psychosis vignette. Males were less significantly likely to endorse seeing a doctor or psychologist/counsellor for the treatment of psychosis. Males were also significantly more likely than females to endorse alcohol as a way of dealing with depression and antibiotics as useful for dealing with psychosis. CONCLUSION: Gender differences in mental health literacy are striking. Males showed significantly lower recognition of symptoms associated with mental illness and were more likely endorse the use alcohol to deal with mental health problems. Such factors may contribute to the delays in help seeking seen in young males. Further research is needed to delineate how these gender differences in young people may obstruct help seeking, early intervention and other aspects of mental health service delivery.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of gender on mental health literacy in young people between 12 and 25 years of age. DESIGN: Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing was employed to conduct a cross-sectional structured interview focusing on young people's awareness of depression and psychosis. PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 1207 young Australians (539 males and 668 females) between the ages of 12-25 recruited from two metropolitan and two regional areas within Victoria. Six hundred and six respondents were presented a depression vignette and 601 were presented a psychosis vignette. RESULTS: Female respondents (60.7%) were significantly more likely to correctly identify depression in the vignette as compared to male respondents (34.5%). No significant gender differences were noted for the psychosis vignette. Males were less significantly likely to endorse seeing a doctor or psychologist/counsellor for the treatment of psychosis. Males were also significantly more likely than females to endorse alcohol as a way of dealing with depression and antibiotics as useful for dealing with psychosis. CONCLUSION: Gender differences in mental health literacy are striking. Males showed significantly lower recognition of symptoms associated with mental illness and were more likely endorse the use alcohol to deal with mental health problems. Such factors may contribute to the delays in help seeking seen in young males. Further research is needed to delineate how these gender differences in young people may obstruct help seeking, early intervention and other aspects of mental health service delivery.
Authors: Pádraig Cotter; Michael Kaess; Paul Corcoran; Peter Parzer; Romuald Brunner; Helen Keeley; Vladimir Carli; Camilla Wasserman; Christina Hoven; Marco Sarchiapone; Alan Apter; Judit Balazs; Julio Bobes; Doina Cosman; Christian Haring; Jean-Pierre Kahn; Franz Resch; Vita Postuvan; Airi Värnik; Danuta Wasserman Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2015-02-06 Impact factor: 4.328
Authors: Shelley R Hart; Elizabeth A Kastelic; Holly C Wilcox; Mary Beth Beaudry; Rashelle J Musci; Kathryn M Heley; Anne E Ruble; Karen L Swartz Journal: School Ment Health Date: 2014-02-23
Authors: Kathryn Wiens; Asmita Bhattarai; Ashley Dores; Pardis Pedram; Jeanne V A Williams; Andrew G M Bulloch; Scott B Patten Journal: Can J Psychiatry Date: 2019-09-04 Impact factor: 4.356
Authors: Raimo K R Salokangas; Dorien H Nieman; Markus Heinimaa; Tanja Svirskis; Sinikka Luutonen; Tiina From; Heinrich Graf von Reventlow; Georg Juckel; Don Linszen; Peter Dingemans; Max Birchwood; Paul Patterson; Frauke Schultze-Lutter; Joachim Klosterkötter; Stephan Ruhrmann Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2012-07-15 Impact factor: 4.328
Authors: Grace W K Ho; D Bressington; S F Leung; K K C Lam; A Y M Leung; A Molassiotis; J Ligot; C Ranoco; C Sophal; M Valimaki Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2018-06-02 Impact factor: 4.328