Mental health literacy, self-efficacy, and stigma among college students

Research estimates that 39% of college-aged individuals have a mental health diagnosis. In response to these concerning trends, this study was designed to better understand variables associated with mental well-being among college students. As both a strong sense of self-efficacy and high mental health literacy have been associated with increased mental wellbeing, this study specifically examines the relationship between mental health literacy and self-efficacy among college students, and if this relationship is moderated by mental health stigma. Study participants were recruited through convenience sampling with the assistance of Qualtrics survey software. A total of 410 undergraduate university students throughout the United States completed the survey. Linear regression results showed that both mental health literacy (b =.37, p <.001), and stigma (b = -0.1 5, p <.05) were statistically significant predictors of self-efficacy when controlling for gender, age, parental income, and previous mental health diagnosis. Contrary to our hypothesis, stigma was not shown to moderate the relationship between mental health literacy and self-efficacy. The results of our study suggest that increased mental health literacy and less stigmatized attitudes among college students are both associated with increased self-efficacy. Our findings can inform mental health programming at universities.