Journal of Health Literacy

Journal of Health Literacy

Examining the Links Between Demographics, Mental Health Literacy and Mental Well-Being: A Correlational Study

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Pınar ÜNKÜR 1
Muzaffer AKDOĞAN 2
1 Research Assistant, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Faculty of Erbaa Health Sciences, Department of Health Management, Tokat/Türkiye.
2 Associate Professor, University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Hamidiye Health Sciences, Department of Health Management, İstanbul/Türkiye.
10.22038/jhl.2026.90005.1825
Abstract
Background and Objectives: When we think of health as a system, mental health is an inseparable part of it, and mental well-being is integrated with it. Mental health literacy and mental well-being are important due to the increasing prevalence of mental illnesses. This study adopts a correlational design to investigate the interplay between mental health literacy and mental well-being. The primary objective is to determine the extent and direction of the relationship between these variables while accounting for demographic differences across two distinct districts of Istanbul.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 448 participants. Data were collected using a socio-demographic data form, a mental health literacy scale, and a mental well-being scale. They were analysed using descriptive, correlation, and difference analyses in IBM SPSS 25.

Results: No significant difference in mental health literacy levels was found across the general population. However, the mental well-being of individuals residing in Adalar district was significantly higher than that of those living in Esenyurt district. Furthermore, certain demographic factors influenced mental health literacy. A positive correlation was observed between mental well-being and mental health literacy (r=0.181, p<0.01). 

Conclusion: The findings indicate that enhancing mental health literacy could be a strategic pathway to improving overall mental well-being in urban populations. The results suggest that sociodemographic factors play a significant role in shaping individuals' mental health literacy and well-being in Istanbul. These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions to address disparities in mental health literacy and well-being.
Keywords
Mental Health Literacy
Mental Well-being
Population
Sociodemographic Factors

Acknowledgement: This study was derived from the Master’s Thesis entitled “Determination of Mental Health Literacy and Mental Well-Being Status of Individuals Living in Istanbul: Comparative Analysis of Esenyurt and Adalar Districts” completed under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Akdoğan at the University of Health Sciences in 2023. We sincerely thank all participants for their valuable contributions to this study.


Availability of Data and Materials: Data are available on request by contacting the author upon reasonable request.


Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


Consent for publication: Not applicable. 


Ethical Approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for the research was granted by the University of Health Sciences Hamidiye Scientific Research Ethics Committee (approval date: 30.09.2022, number: 12469) and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all participants before they completed the questionnaire.


Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this research.


Author Contributions:  PU and MA designed the study. PU was responsible for data collection, data analysis, interpretation of findings, and manuscript writing. MA followed the study process, reviewed the final version critically for intellectual content, and provided feedback. All authors read and approved the final version of the article.


Artificial Intelligence (AI) in publication: We have not used any AI tools or technologies to prepare this manuscript. 

 

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Journal of Health Literacy

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 May 2026