Knowledge and awareness level of mental health literacy among pediatricians

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to assess pediatricians' knowledge and awareness levels on mental health literacy (MHL) and investigate the factors affecting this level. Material and Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional self-report questionnaire-based internet study conducted on 01 February-25 February 2021. The population of the study consisted of pediatricians. The data were collected using questionnaires sent to volunteer physicians' smartphones. Participants filled in the sociodemographic data and the MHL Scale. Results: The data of 140 participants were analyzed in the study. The participants' mean age was 37.7 years, and 62.1% were females, 73.6% were married, and 75.0% were working as specialists. Considering index scores, 15% of the participants were observed to have insufficient MHL. Participation in training on child psychiatry (OR:7.5) predicted excellent MHL, while increased years of professional experience were observed to the predictor of insufficient MHL (OR:0.9 per year). Discussion: This study has investigated the knowledge levels and beliefs of pediatricians about mental health disorders and the important part of pediatricians have been observed to have insufficient MHL. The results have shown that organizing training and meetings in specialty training and intermittently afterward to improve MHL will be beneficial for pediatricians in recognizing and managing groups with mental illness.