The Validity and Reliability Study of Mental Health Literacy in Young Adults (MHLq)

Abstract

Objective: The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLq) in young adults were examined in this study. Methods: This methodological investigation was carried out throughout the 2018-2019 academic year at a public university. The MHLq, created by Dias et al. in 2018, and a sociodemographic data form were used to gather the data. 350 students between the ages of 18 and 25 participated in the study. Results: A pilot study was done to translate the scale into Turkish once it had been translated from its original language and reviewed by experts. The scale validity as well as its construct validity, internal consistency, and time invariance were tested using the content validity index, confirmatory factor analysis, item analyses, reliability, Cronbach's alpha analysis, and test-retest scores. The scale is four-dimensional, as was found. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the scale's item loads varied between 0.40 and 0.73 while its content validity was 0.98. Its 0.91 Cronbach's alpha value was discovered. The participants' average mental health literacy scores were 84.45 & PLUSMN;7.80. Conclusions: The analyses made showed that the MHLq could be safely used as a measurement tool for young adults' mental health literacy.