Link to the University of Pittsburgh Homepage
Link to the University Library System Homepage Link to the Contact Us Form

The association of mental health literacy in Latino parents and mental health outcomes in their children

Leninkannan, Madhura (2022) The association of mental health literacy in Latino parents and mental health outcomes in their children. Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

[img]
Preview
PDF
Download (319kB) | Preview

Abstract

Mental health literacy refers to the knowledge and attitudes one possesses regarding mental health and mental illnesses. Given that relations between parental health literacy and their children’s health outcomes have been noted in various studies, understanding if parental mental health literacy is a predictor of children’s mental health outcomes will help in creating interventions to improve mental health outcomes of children (DeWalt & Hink, 2009; Lee et al., 2020). Furthermore, Latinos are more prone to negative mental health outcomes than their White counterparts. This study is expected to aid in understanding the factors that contribute to this disparity (Vega & Alegría, 2001). This study aims to investigate the mental health literacy of Latino parents and how this may be associated with their children’s (ages 11-17) mental health status. Parents were recruited either in-person through a Latino resource center or online through advertisements with various Latino organizations in Pittsburgh. Parental mental health literacy was assessed through administering the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), a questionnaire consisting of 35 items to assess the levels of knowledge and types of attitudes people possess regarding mental health and mental illness (O’Connor & Casey, 2015). The mental health statuses of children were assessed through parents answering the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a 25-item questionnaire assessing various behavioral and emotional difficulties (Goodman, 1997). The bivariate correlations of the responses from 27 participants were analyzed to identify significant relationships. The results indicated a statistically significant inverse relationship between parental mental health literacy and their children’s total difficulties score (r=-.579, p<0.05). Thus, mental health literacy in Latino parents are associated with their perspective of their children’s mental health outcomes.


Share

Citation/Export:
Social Networking:
Share |

Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Leninkannan, MadhuraMAL319@pitt.eduMAL3190000-0003-0157-3145
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairDocumet, Patriciapdocumet@pitt.edu
Committee MemberLeyva, Dianadml114@pitt.edu
Committee MemberRoss, Sharonseross@pitt.edu
Committee MemberKatz, Mirakatz.114@osu.edu
Date: 24 April 2022
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 5 April 2022
Approval Date: 24 April 2022
Submission Date: 21 April 2022
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 49
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: David C. Frederick Honors College
Degree: BPhil - Bachelor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Undergraduate Thesis
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Mental Health, Mental Health Literacy, Latino Mental Health
Date Deposited: 24 Apr 2022 23:46
Last Modified: 24 Apr 2022 23:46
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/42637

Metrics

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics


Actions (login required)

View Item View Item