Strengthening the Mental Health Literacy of Youth Within a School Context

In Australia, approximately one in seven children and adolescents experience mental illness. The overarching aim of this PhD was to understand how to strengthen mental health literacy (MHL) for Australian youth within school. Results revealed that MHL programs in schools offers an accessible way to influence MHL, help-seeking and positive coping. The use of a mixed-methods design to adapt and evaluate an Australian-based MHL program, informed by current evidence and key stakeholder input, is a major strength of this research. This PhD provides a foundation for including MHL in Australian schools, which could benefit youth mental health in the future.