Sex differences in beliefs and attitudes towards mental illness: An examination of mental health literacy in a community sample [DATA]

Abstract Background: The current study investigated mental health literacy in an Australian sample to examine the influence sex has in the identification of and attitudes towards various aspects of mental illness. Methods: An online questionnaire was completed by 373 participants (267 female, M = 34.87). Participants were randomly assigned a vignette depicting an individual exhibiting the symptoms of one of three types of mental illness and asked to answer questions relating to aspects of mental health literacy. Results: Males exhibited poorer mental health literacy skills compared to females. Males were less likely to correctly identify the type of mental illness, more likely to rate symptoms as less serious and to perceive the individual as having greater personal control over such symptoms. Conclusions: Generally, the sample was relatively proficient at correctly identifying mental illness but overall males displayed poorer mental health literacy skills than females.

背景：本研究以澳大利亚人群为样本开展心理健康素养（mental health literacy）调查，旨在探讨性别对各类精神疾病的识别及相关态度的影响。方法：共有373名参与者完成线上问卷，其中267名为女性，平均年龄为34.87岁。参与者被随机分配阅读一则描述了表现出三种精神疾病中某一种症状的个体的情境小故事（vignette），并需回答与心理健康素养相关的一系列问题。结果：相较于女性群体，男性群体的心理健康素养能力相对较差。具体表现为，男性对精神疾病类型的正确识别率更低，更倾向于认为症状严重程度较轻，且认为该个体对自身症状拥有更强的个人掌控力。结论：总体而言，本研究样本对精神疾病的正确识别能力整体处于较好水平，但整体上男性群体的心理健康素养水平仍显著低于女性群体。