THE CURRENT MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

As mental health awareness increases, its significance in our daily lives continues to grow. While mental health awareness has been extensively studied in other countries, it remains a relatively underexplored topic in Malaysia. In recent years, the Malaysian government has been actively promoting the importance of maintaining good mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the level of mental health knowledge in a university student sample. Through a survey of (n=282) of university students at a local university, participants were asked to complete two parts of the Mental Health Knowledge (MHKQ) questionnaire. The first part evaluated participants’ general understanding of mental health, and most respondents demonstrated a good grasp of the topic by correctly answering the majority of the questions. In the second part, which focused on mental health awareness days, participants reported a poor understanding. Overall, the majority of participants displayed a satisfactory level of mental health knowledge, with only 20% scoring at the lower end of the scale. The current study has identified a pressing need to enhance the effectiveness of mental health intervention programs, workshops, and activities.