Knowledge as a Tool Against Stigma: How Mental Health Literacy Influences Attitudes and Behaviors Among Medical Students
G. Chakchouk, N. Regaieg, Y. Trabelsi, F. Guermazi, I. Feki, J. Masmoudi, I. BaatiIntroduction
Several studies have explored mental health stigma using the Knowledge–Attitudes–Behaviors (KAB) model. This model highlights the major role of mental health literacy in shaping stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors.
Objectives
This study aims to: measure the level of mental health literacy in a sample of medical students determine demographic and experiential factors associated with this knowledge examine how mental health knowledge relates to other dimensions of stigma
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students enrolled at the faculty of medicine of Sfax, Tunisia, from February to October 2025. Participants completed via a Google form survey a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and personal experiences with mental health.
Psychometric evaluation was performed using the: French version of the Community attitudes towards the mentally ill (CAMI) scale, the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) and the Reported and intended behavior scale (RIBS).
Results
The mean MAKS score was 32.5 ± 4.3. The mean RIBS score was 13.4 ± 3.1. The overall CAMI mean score was 15.2 ± 3.0, with subscales’ means of 14.0 ± 3.3 for Authoritarianism, 27.8 ± 5.2 for Benevolence, 19.3 ± 4.8 for Social Restrictiveness, and 16.7 ± 2.8 for Community Ideology.
Students who had previously consulted a mental health professional showed higher MAKS scores compared to those who had not (p = 0.042). MAKS scores differed significantly across years of medical training (p = 0.001). Fourth-year students showed the highest scores (mean rank = 53.2).
The analyses revealed that higher mental health knowledge was significantly associated with lower levels of stigmatizing attitudes: MAKS scores were negatively correlated with the total CAMI score (p <0.001) and with the stigma-related CAMI dimensions: Authoritarianism (p <0.001) and Social Restrictiveness (p <0.001).
Furthermore, MAKS scores were positively correlated with Benevolence (p <0.001) and Community Ideology (p <0.001), indicating that greater mental health knowledge has an impact on all aspects of attitudes regarding mental illness. Positive correlations were also observed between MAKS and RIBS (p <0.001) indicating that the impact of greater knowledge about mental illness not only on attitudes but also on intended behaviors towards the mentally ill.
Conclusions
Our findings provide evidence that greater mental health knowledge is associated with more inclusive, empathetic, and less stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared