Enhancing Teacher Mental Health Literacy: Reliability Assessment of the Student Mental Health Awareness Questionnaire in Malaysia

Authors

  • Mohd Faiz Fansuri Mohd Affandy Department of Social Work, School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia
  • Azlinda Azman Department of Social Work, School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia
  • Intan Nooraini Zainol Department of Social Work, School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol14.1.10.2024

Keywords:

Educational policy, educational psychology, mental health literacy tools, reliability assessment, student mental health awareness, teacher mental health literacy

Abstract

Amidst Malaysia’s burgeoning child mental health crisis, effective early detection and intervention strategies within educational settings are imperative. This study introduces the Student Mental Health Awareness Questionnaire (SMHAQ), designed to evaluate secondary school teachers’ awareness of student mental health issues. Developed to address the gap in mental health literacy among educators, the SMHAQ features 101 items across knowledge, attitudes, and practices domains. Administered to 391 teachers across three Malaysian states, the questionnaire exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.849) and moderate test-retest reliability, affirming its credibility as a comprehensive measure for mental health awareness. However, the study’s limitation to specific regions and a brief test-retest interval underscores the necessity for further reliability testing across a broader educational and cultural landscape. Future research should explore longitudinal applicability and effectiveness in diverse settings, paving the way for more nuanced student mental health interventions. This work represents a vital step forward in integrating mental health awareness into educational frameworks, thus improving student well-being through informed practices. This study underscores the pivotal role of teacher mental health literacy in educational settings, suggesting that improved awareness and understanding among educators can lead to more effective interventions and support for students. The findings advocate for integrating mental health training into teacher education programmes and shaping policies to better equip teachers in managing student mental health issues.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adeoye, M. A. (2023). Review of sampling techniques for education. ASEAN Journal for Science Education, 2(2), 87-94. https://ejournal.bumipublikasinusantara.id/index.php/ajsed/article/view/230

Anas Ibn Auf, Ziyad S. Alharthi, Abdulaziz I. Almalki, Abdullah E. Alharbi, Abdullah Alaqla, Bader M. Alharthi, Ahmed S. Alsaedi, & Alaa H. Alhabib. (2023). Awareness and attitudes toward childhood mental disorders among primary school teachers in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Cureus, 15(11), Article e49377. https://doi.org/m3kf

Atanasova, S., & Kamin T. (2022). From dimensions, levels and domains to context-specific conceptualizations of health literacy. Slovenian Journal of Public Health, 61(3), 133-136. https://doi.org/m3kd

Bailey, D. H., Jenkins, J. M., & Alvarez-Vargas, D. (2020). Complementarities between early educational intervention and later educational quality? A systematic review of the sustaining environments hypothesis. Development Review, 56, Article 100910. https://doi.org/gsg3mq

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W H Freeman.

Blitz, L. V., Yull, D., & Clauhs, M. (2020). Bringing sanctuary to school: Assessing school climate as a foundation for culturally responsive trauma-informed approaches for urban schools. Urban Education, 55(1), 95-124. https://doi.org/ggcqb3

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.

Brown, R. S. (2010). Sampling. In P. Peterson, E. Baker & B. McGaw (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education (3rd ed., pp. 142-146). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/cx6cf8

Bunna, P., Amanda, J. N., Dang, H. M., Tran, T. N., & Bahr, W. (2019). Assessing the effectiveness of teachers’ mental health literacy training in Cambodia: A randomized controlled trial. VNU Journal of Science: Education Research, 35(3), 100-114. https://doi.org/m3kj

Chakrabarti, S. (2024). Digital psychiatry in low-and-middle-income countries: New developments and the way forward. World Journal of Psychiatry, 14(3), 350-361. https://doi.org/m3kk

Chen, S. -P., Chang, W. -P., & Stuart, H. (2020). Self-reflection and screening mental health on Canadian campuses: Validation of the mental health continuum model. BMC Psychology, 8, Article 76. https://doi.org/gpgzpp

Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Erfan Soleimani-Sefat, Akram Parandeh, Fatemah Rahmati, & Tahereh Kamalikhah. (2022). Development and psychometric properties of the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire (MHLQ) among young Iranian soldiers. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 13, Article 101. https://doi.org/m3q2

Field, A. (2017). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Gunawardena, H., Leontini, R., Nair, S., Nair, S., & Hickie, I. (2024). Teachers as first responders: Classroom experiences and mental health training needs of Australian schoolteachers. BMC Public Health, 24, Article 268. https://doi.org/m3km

Johnson, C. L., Gross, M. A., Jorm, A. F., & Hart, L. M. (2023). Mental health literacy for supporting children: A systematic review of teacher and parent/carer knowledge and recognition of mental health problems in childhood. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 26, 569-591. https://doi.org/gs2xp7

Jorm, A. F. (2019). The concept of mental health literacy. In O. Okan, U. Bauer, D. Levin-Zamir, P. Pinheiro, & K. Sørensen (Eds.), International handbook of health literacy: Research, practice and policy across the life-span (pp. 53-66). Policy Press. https://doi.org/m3rd

Kirkbride, J. B., Anglin, D. M., Colman, I., Dykxhoorn, J., Jones, P. B., Patalay, P., Pitman, A., Soneson, E., Steare, T., Wright, T., & Griffiths, S. L. (2024). The social determinants of mental health and disorder: Evidence, prevention and recommendations. World Psychiatry, 23(1), 58-90. https://doi.org/gtmsq9

Lee, J. E., Goh, M. L., & Yeo, S. F. (2023). Mental health awareness of secondary schools students: Mediating roles of knowledge on mental health, knowledge on professional help, and attitude towards mental health. Heliyon, 9(3), Article e14512. https://doi.org/m3qh

March, A., Stapley, E., Hayes, D., Town, R., & Deighton, J. (2022). Barriers and facilitators to sustaining school-based mental health and wellbeing interventions: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), Article 3587. https://doi.org/m3q8

Mastrorio, C. R., Trainor, K. M., & Splett, J. W. (2020). Teacher school mental health literacy survey: A validation study. UF Journal of Undergraduate Research, 21(2). https://doi.org/m3qj

Morita, Y., Miyamoto, Y., Takano, A., Kawakami, N., & Coulombe, S. (2019). Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Mental Health Self-Management Questionnaire among people with mental illness living in the community. BMC Psychology, 7, Article 30. https://doi.org/m3qm

Nalipay, M. J. N., Chai, C. -S., Jong, M. S. -Y., King, R. B., & Mordeno, I. G. (2024). Positive mental health literacy for teachers: Adaptation and construct validation. Current Psychology, 43, 4888-4898. https://doi.org/m3qq

National Institutes of Health Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2020). National health and morbidity survey 2019: Technical report - Volume 1 (NCDs - Non-communicable diseases: Risk factors and other health problems). https://iku.moh.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2019/Report_NHMS2019-NCD_v2.pdf

Nygaard, M. A., Ormiston, H. E., Heck, O. C., Apgar, S., & Wood, M. (2023). Educator perspectives on mental health supports at the primary level. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51, 851-861. https://doi.org/m3qs

O’Farrell, P., Wilson, C., & Shiel, G. (2022). Teachers’ perceptions of the barriers to assessment of mental health in schools with implications for educational policy: A systematic review. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 262-282. https://doi.org/gq48w2

Ribeiro, W. S., Grande, A. J., Hoffmann, M. S., Ziebold, C., McDaid, D., Fry, A., Peixoto, C., Miranda, C., King, D., Tomasi, C. D., Faustino, C., Leone, S., Moraes, S., Schäfer, A. A., Alves, V., Rosa, M. I., & Evans-Lacko, S. (2023). A systematic review of evidence-based interventions for child and adolescent mental health problems in low-and middle-income countries. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 121, Article 152358. https://doi.org/m3qw

Setia, M. S. (2016). Methodology series module 3: Cross-sectional studies. Indian Journal of Dermatology, 61(3), 261-264. https://doi.org/ghghkg

Shim, Y. R., Eaker, R., & Park, J. (2022). Mental health education, awareness and stigma regarding mental illness among college students. Journal of Mental Health & Clinical Psychology, 6(2), 6-15. https://doi.org/m3qz

Siti Aiman Sulaiman, & Suziyani Mohamed. (2023). Teachers’ knowledge regarding preschool children’s mental health. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(2), 2811–2818. https://doi.org/m3q4

Tang, W., Cui, Y., & Babenko, O. (2014). Internal consistency: Do we really know what it is and how to assess it? Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Science, 2(2), 205-220.

Tian, L., Wong, E. L., Dong, D., Cheung, A. W., Chan, S. K. -W., Cao, Y., Mok, P. K. H., Zhou, L., & Xu, R. H. (2024). Improving mental health literacy using web- or app-based interventions: A scoping review. Digit Health, 10, Article 20552076241243133. https://doi.org/m3q5

Tsang, S., Royse, C. F., & Abdullah Sulieman Terkawi. (2017). Guidelines for developing, translating, and validating a questionnaire in perioperative and pain medicine. Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia, 11(Suppl 1), S80-S89. https://doi.org/gd7g8t

Wang, M., Wang, J., Wang, Y., Huang, X., Huang, Y., Huang, J., Feng, Y., & Li, X. (2022). Reliability and validity of the Mental Health Self-Management Questionnaire among Chinese patients with mood and anxiety disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, Article 952951. https://doi.org/gtv2xj

Wei, Y., McGrath, P. J., Hayden, J., & Kutcher, S. (2015). Mental health literacy measures evaluating knowledge, attitudes and help-seeking: A scoping review. BMC Psychiatry, 15, Article 291. https://doi.org/f72hv5

Wiedermann, C. J., Barbieri, V., Plagg, B., Marino, P., Piccoliori, G., & Engl, A. (2023). Fortifying the foundations: A comprehensive approach to enhancing mental health support in educational policies amidst crises. Healthcare, 11(10), Article 1423. https://doi.org/k7fr

Downloads

Published

2024-05-10

How to Cite

Mohd Affandy, M. F. F., Azman, A., & Zainol, I. N. (2024). Enhancing Teacher Mental Health Literacy: Reliability Assessment of the Student Mental Health Awareness Questionnaire in Malaysia. Journal of Research, Policy & Practice of Teachers and Teacher Education, 14(1), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol14.1.10.2024