Mental Health Literacy and Mental Health Conditions among High School Students

Abstract

Objectives of this research were to study the level of mental health literacy and mental health status of secondary school students and to use this information to develop a model for mental health care and support. Samples consisted of secondary school students from schools under the Chanthaburi-Trat Secondary Education Service Area Office in Khlung District, Chanthaburi Province, during the 2025 academic year, totaling of 316. Research instruments were the mental health literacy, the general information, and the stress assessment questionnaires. The ST-5 General Anxiety Assessment and the PHQ-A Depression Assessment Questionnaires obtained reliability coefficients of 0.85, 0.90, 0.91, 0.90, and 0.96, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

            The research findings indicated that secondary school students have an overall mental health literacy at a moderate level, with an average score of 47.64, covering knowledge about mental health, problem perception, attitudes, and the ability to seek help. The majority of the students had a normal stress level (46.84%) followed by a mild stress level (36.99%). For anxiety levels, the majority of students had none or a very low level of anxiety (52.22%), and a mild level (31.96%). The assessment of depression found that the majority of students (44.30%) did not have depression, followed by a mild depression level (32.91%). The results indicated that most students had an overall moderate level of mental health, but there were still groups with mild to moderate stress, anxiety, and depression levels. Further study is needed to develop models of mental health care and support to enhance literacy and promote, and prevent mental health problems.