Open Access
Research
Assessment of mental health literacy using a multifaceted measure among a Chinese rural population Yu Yu,1 Zi-wei Liu,1 Mi Hu,1 Xi-guang Liu,1 Hui-ming Liu,1 Joyce P Yang,2 Liang Zhou,1 Shui-yuan Xiao1
To cite: Yu Y, Liu Z-wei, Hu M, et al. Assessment of mental health literacy using a multifaceted measure among a Chinese rural population. BMJ Open 2015;5:e009054. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015009054 ▸ Prepublication history for this paper is available online. To view these files please visit the journal online (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ bmjopen-2015-009054). Received 12 June 2015 Revised 22 August 2015 Accepted 25 August 2015
ABSTRACT Objectives: The present study aims to assess mental
Strengths and limitations of this study
health literacy (MHL) using a standardised multifaceted 20-item instrument called Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ) developed by the Chinese Ministry of Health, among a rural Chinese population. Setting: Four villages in Liuyang county of Hunan province, China. Participants: This was a cross-sectional study. A multistage cluster-sampling method was adopted, leading to a final sampling frame of 2377 residents aged 18–60 years from four villages of Liuyang county. Included in the study were residents aged 18–60 years living in their village for at least half a year; excluded were those not living in the areas during the research period, those with difficulty in communication due to serious physical or mental illness and those who were cognitively impaired or actively psychotic. Finally, 2052 participants completed the survey.
▪ Broadening the definition of mental health literacy (MHL) to include ‘illness literacy’ as well as ‘health literacy’. ▪ Assessing population level MHL in rural China using a multifaceted measurement tool—the Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ) —instead of vignettes based on Western cultural contexts. ▪ Exploring the relationship between MHL and a range of health outcomes, which is a substantially underdeveloped area of research. ▪ The cross-sectional study design makes causal relationships undeterminable. ▪ Lack of comparison between MHKQ with other multifaceted scales intending to measure MHL as the MHKQ has not be utilised outside of China.
Primary and secondary outcome measures:
1
Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China 2 Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA Correspondence to Professor Shui-yuan Xiao; [email protected]
Primary outcome was correct response rate of the MHKQ; secondary outcome measures were association between sociodemographics and MHL, and association between MHL and health outcomes. Results: Correct response rates for the 20 MHKQ items ranged from 19% to 94%, with a mean rate of 58%. Younger age (r=−0.02, p
Research
Assessment of mental health literacy using a multifaceted measure among a Chinese rural population Yu Yu,1 Zi-wei Liu,1 Mi Hu,1 Xi-guang Liu,1 Hui-ming Liu,1 Joyce P Yang,2 Liang Zhou,1 Shui-yuan Xiao1
To cite: Yu Y, Liu Z-wei, Hu M, et al. Assessment of mental health literacy using a multifaceted measure among a Chinese rural population. BMJ Open 2015;5:e009054. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015009054 ▸ Prepublication history for this paper is available online. To view these files please visit the journal online (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ bmjopen-2015-009054). Received 12 June 2015 Revised 22 August 2015 Accepted 25 August 2015
ABSTRACT Objectives: The present study aims to assess mental
Strengths and limitations of this study
health literacy (MHL) using a standardised multifaceted 20-item instrument called Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ) developed by the Chinese Ministry of Health, among a rural Chinese population. Setting: Four villages in Liuyang county of Hunan province, China. Participants: This was a cross-sectional study. A multistage cluster-sampling method was adopted, leading to a final sampling frame of 2377 residents aged 18–60 years from four villages of Liuyang county. Included in the study were residents aged 18–60 years living in their village for at least half a year; excluded were those not living in the areas during the research period, those with difficulty in communication due to serious physical or mental illness and those who were cognitively impaired or actively psychotic. Finally, 2052 participants completed the survey.
▪ Broadening the definition of mental health literacy (MHL) to include ‘illness literacy’ as well as ‘health literacy’. ▪ Assessing population level MHL in rural China using a multifaceted measurement tool—the Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ) —instead of vignettes based on Western cultural contexts. ▪ Exploring the relationship between MHL and a range of health outcomes, which is a substantially underdeveloped area of research. ▪ The cross-sectional study design makes causal relationships undeterminable. ▪ Lack of comparison between MHKQ with other multifaceted scales intending to measure MHL as the MHKQ has not be utilised outside of China.
Primary and secondary outcome measures:
1
Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China 2 Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA Correspondence to Professor Shui-yuan Xiao; [email protected]
Primary outcome was correct response rate of the MHKQ; secondary outcome measures were association between sociodemographics and MHL, and association between MHL and health outcomes. Results: Correct response rates for the 20 MHKQ items ranged from 19% to 94%, with a mean rate of 58%. Younger age (r=−0.02, p
