Relationship of Mental Health Literacy with Psychological Well-Being and Perceived Stress Among Pakistani University Students: Moderated by Brief Coping Skills

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between mental health literacy, brief coping strategies, psychological well-being, and perceived stress of Pakistani university students. The sample was made up of 1,664 students who responded to standardized self-report measures, including self-administered standardized measures of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), Brief COPE Scale, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental well-being Scale (WEMWBS), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Findings showed mental health literacy was positively correlated with both psychological well-being and coping strategies and negatively correlated with perceived stress. Multiple regression indicated mental health literacy and brief coping strategies were significant predictors of psychological well-being and perceived stress. In addition, moderation analysis showed brief coping strategies had a significant moderating effect on mental health literacy and perceived stress, however brief coping strategies were not a significant moderator for mental health literacy and psychological well-being. Overall, these results demonstrate that there is a significant mental health literacy and coping strategies are important for mental health outcomes by improving students mental health outcomes.