Mental Health Literacy and Help-Seeking Preferences in High School Students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A high prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents has been reported worldwide, but little is known about mental health literacy in this population, particularly in developing countries. The goal of this study was to evaluate mental health literacy level and help-seeking preferences in high school students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. These two variables were also compared between students who had stress, anxiety and depression with students who did not. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1094 students across 27 classes at three high schools. Students completed a self-report questionnaire that included validated scales such as the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) and the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire. Based on the DASS-21, the prevalence of students reporting symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety was 36.1%, 39.8% and 59.8%, respectively. The mean MHLS score was 104.12 (SD = 10.09) and was significantly lower in students who had symptoms of depression. The most common help-seeking preferences for mental illness were friends, classmates and relatives or family members. Help-seeking preferences were almost identical among students with stress, anxiety or depression. While Vietnamese high school students had high levels of symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety and moderate levels of mental health literacy, non-professionals were preferred as their first help-seeking choice. Our findings revealed the need for routine school-based mental health screening and referral activities as well as mental health education programs for high school students in Vietnam.