Mental Health Literacy and Help-Seeking Behavior Among Adolescents

NCT07395245 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Mental Health in Adolescents
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 150
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study examines mental health awareness and help-seeking behaviors among adolescents aged 13-18 years in Assiut City, Egypt. Mental health problems are common among young people, but many adolescents do not seek professional help when they need it. This is often due to low mental health literacy (not understanding mental health problems or knowing where to get help), stigma (negative attitudes toward mental illness), and fears about confidentiality or being judged. The study has two parts: Part 1 - Assessment Phase: Researchers will survey approximately 270 students from preparatory and secondary schools in Assiut to understand their current levels of mental health literacy, stigma, and willingness to seek help for mental health problems. Students will complete validated questionnaires that measure their knowledge about mental health, their attitudes toward peers with mental health problems, and their intentions to seek help from various sources. Part 2 - Intervention Phase: In a randomized controlled trial involving 150 students (75 in an intervention group and 75 in a control group), researchers will test whether a brief educational program can improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and increase help-seeking intentions. The intervention consists of three weekly classroom sessions covering: (1) mental health literacy - basic concepts, common problems in adolescents like stress and anxiety, recognizing symptoms; (2) stigma reduction - understanding how negative labels hurt people, recognizing public and self-stigma, using respectful language; and (3) help-seeking behavior - knowing when to seek help, understanding formal and informal help sources, overcoming barriers, and learning about local resources in Assiut. Students in both groups will complete questionnaires before the intervention and one month after completion. The control group will not receive the educational sessions during the study period. Researchers will compare changes in mental health knowledge, stigma levels, and help-seeking attitudes between the two groups to determine whether the program is effective. The study aims to address a critical gap in mental health services for adolescents in Upper Egypt by improving young people's understanding of mental health and encouraging them to seek appropriate help when needed.

Conditions

Mental Health; Mental Health Literacy; Stigma of Mental Illness; Help-Seeking Behavior; Adolescent Mental Health

Keywords

Mental Health Literacy; Help-Seeking Behavior; Adolescent Mental Health; Stigma

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) Total Score

  Change in total score on the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), a validated 35-item Arabic questionnaire that measures knowledge and understanding of mental health disorders, including recognition of disorders, knowledge of professional help sources, knowledge of self-help strategies, attitudes promoting appropriate help-seeking, knowledge of prevention, and ability to find and use mental health information. Items are scored on Likert scales. Higher total scores indicate greater mental health literacy. Change is calculated as post-intervention score minus baseline score.

  1 month after completion of the intervention program

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale (PMHSS) Score

  1 month after completion of the intervention program

Study Arms (2)

Mental Health Literacy Educational Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive a brief school-based educational intervention consisting of three structured classroom sessions delivered over 3 consecutive weeks. Session 1 covers mental health literacy (basic concepts, common adolescent mental health problems, signs/symptoms, myths vs facts). Session 2 addresses stigma reduction (public stigma, self-stigma, respectful language). Session 3 focuses on help-seeking behavior (informal vs formal help sources, barriers, local resources in Assiut, role-play activities). Each session includes 30-40 minutes of teaching plus 10 minutes of discussion/activities. Pre-test and post-test assessments (MHLS, PMHSS, GHSQ, ATSPPH, SDQ) are administered before the intervention and 1 month after completion.

Behavioral: School-Based Mental Health Literacy Educational Program

No Intervention Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants receive no educational intervention during the study period. They continue with their regular school activities without any mental health literacy sessions. Pre-test and post-test assessments using the same validated questionnaires (Mental Health Literacy Scale, Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale, General Help-Seeking Questionnaire, Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) are administered at the same time points as the intervention group: before the intervention period begins and 1 month after the intervention group completes the three sessions.

Interventions

School-Based Mental Health Literacy Educational Program BEHAVIORAL

A school-based educational program delivered over 3 consecutive weeks, consisting of three 40-50 minute structured classroom sessions. Session 1 (Mental Health Literacy) covers basic concepts of mental health and mental illness, common adolescent mental health problems including stress, anxiety, and depression, key signs and symptoms, and myths versus facts about mental health. Session 2 (Stigma Reduction) addresses what stigma is, how negative labels and stereotypes affect people with mental health problems, differences between public stigma and self-stigma, and promotes respectful language through interactive activities. Session 3 (Help-Seeking Behavior) focuses on recognizing when problems need help, differences between informal and formal help sources, common barriers to seeking help, and provides information about local mental health resources in Assiut including role-play activities on how to approach trusted adults.

Mental Health Literacy Educational Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Adolescents aged 13-18 years.
• Enrolled in selected schools in Assiut city

You may not qualify if:

• Documented severe intellectual disability or learning difficulty that, in the judgement of school staff, would prevent understanding of the intervention content or valid questionnaire completion.
• Current acute medical or psychiatric emergency at the time of data collection as identified by school or health-center staff.
• Refusal of participation by the student, or absence of parental consent.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Assiut University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being; Help-Seeking Behavior; Social Stigma

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior; Social Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Lecturer at the Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 2, 2026
• First Posted: February 9, 2026
• Study Start: May 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Last Updated: February 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02