The relationship between mental health knowledge and stigma toward mental disorders
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35335/midwifery.v14i4.2497Keywords:
Community, Mental Disorders, Mental Health Knowledge, Sengon Village, StigmaAbstract
Stigma discourages help-seeking, and mental health knowledge, the knowledge component of mental health literacy, has been proposed as a correlate, although findings are inconsistent and evidence from rural Indonesian communities is limited. A preliminary study in Sengon Village found basic understanding coexisting with stigmatizing views. This study examined the relationship between mental health knowledge and stigma toward mental disorders (public stigma) among adult residents of Sengon Village, Karanganyar. A cross-sectional correlational design was used with 70 respondents drawn by proportional random sampling from 85 registered households (Slovin formula, 5% margin of error). The adapted Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (27 items) and Peer Mental Illness Stigmatization Scale (15 items) were valid and reliable in a pilot of 50 respondents (Cronbach’s alpha 0.918 and 0.874), and data were analyzed using Spearman’s rho. Most respondents had a high level of mental health knowledge (63 respondents; 90.0%) and a moderate level of stigma (57 respondents; 81.4%). Knowledge and stigma were negatively correlated, weakly but significantly (r = -0.282; 95% CI -0.488 to -0.046; p = 0.018). This association does not show that greater knowledge reduces stigma and applies only to the studied community; education-based efforts require further evaluation.
Downloads
References
Alqahtani, R., & Pringle, A. (2024). The general impact of self-stigma of mental illness on adult patients with depressive disorders: A systematic review. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02047-z
Biladina, A. S. (2021). Stigma terkait dengan meminta bantuan dari seseorang profesional tenaga kesehatan mental di Bandung, Indonesia. JHeS (Journal of Health Studies), 5(1), 119–123.
Dubreucq, J., Plasse, J., & Franck, N. (2021). Self-stigma in serious mental illness: A systematic review of frequency, correlates, and consequences. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 47(5), 1261–1287. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbaa181
Falasifah, M., & Syafitri, D. U. (2022). Literasi kesehatan mental dan stigma publik sebagai prediktor sikap terhadap bantuan psikologis pada mahasantri. Jurnal Ilmu Perilaku, 5(2), 159–173. https://doi.org/10.25077/jip.5.2.159-173.2021
Fleary, S. A., Joseph, P. L., Gonçalves, C., Somogie, J., & Angeles, J. (2022). The relationship between health literacy and mental health attitudes and beliefs. Health Literacy Research and Practice, 6(4), e270–e279. https://doi.org/10.3928/24748307-20221018-01
Gao, Y., Burns, R., Leach, L., Chilver, M. R., & Butterworth, P. (2024). Examining the mental health services among people with mental disorders: A literature review. BMC Psychiatry, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05965-z
Goda, A. M. I., Elhamid, S. A. A., & Wassif, G. O. (2025). Mental health stigmatizing attitude and help-seeking behavior towards mental disorders between adolescents and adults. literacy: A comparative study on stigmatizing attitude and help-seeking behavior towards mental disorders between adolescents and adults. Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association, 100(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-025-00184-0
Grosselli, L., Baumgärtel, J., Böhm, H., Hoyer, J., & Knappe, S. (2025). When knowledge falls short: A systematic review on the correlation of mental health knowledge with stigma and help-seeking. Mental Health Science, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/mhs2.70022
Hawke, L. D., Amartey, A., Szatmari, P., Kozloff, N., Husain, M. I., Gallagher, L., Rodak, T., & Yanos, P. T. (2025). The association between mental health self-stigma and multiple mental health conditions: A systematic review. SSM - Mental Health, 8, 100475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100475
Hu, A. J., Neo, P., Soon, A., Tan, H., He, Y., & Tan, R. K. J. (2024). The social construction of mental illness stigma amongst Asians: A systematic review and meta-ethnography. SSM - Mental Health, 6, 100371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100371
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/10.1002/wps.21160
Koo, M., & Yang, S. W. (2025). Questionnaire use and development in health research. Encyclopedia, 5(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5020065
Lesmana, M. H. S., & Chung, M. H. (2025). Psychometric properties of the Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale in Indonesian adolescents. SSM - Mental Health, 7, 100400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100400
Mahardika, H. F., Kustin, & Yuhbaba, Z. . (2021). The relationship between mental health literacy and stigma mental disorders in the Soko Village community, Bagelen District, Purworejo Regency. International Journal of Islamic and Complementary Medicine, 2(2), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.55116/ijicm.v2i2.19
Marthoenis, M., Fitryasari, R., & Warsini, S. (2026). Mental health literacy among female community health workers: A multi-setting cross-sectional study. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 48(1), 65–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176241306137
Mulyani, A., & Hardiyanti, T. (2025). Community-based mental health education for reducing stigma and improving knowledge in Batujajar Timur Village, West Bandung. Indonesian Journal of Community Development, 5(1), 29–38. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijcd.v5i1.83090
Nisa, N. K., & Widodo, A. (2025). Hubungan antara literasi kesehatan mental dengan stigma gangguan jiwa pada mahasiswa keperawatan. Jurnal Kesehatan Tambusai, 6(3), 10176–10184. https://doi.org/10.31004/jkt.v6i3.49108
Pescosolido, B. (2024). Is mental health literacy the optimal lever of stigma change? Examining the link in 17 countries. Medical Research Archives, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i7.5471
Rahmani, R. H., Fahmawati, Z. N., & Affandi, G. R. (2024). Mental health literacy reduces mental disorder stigma in society. Indonesian Journal of Cultural and Community Development, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.21070/ijccd.v16i1.1135
Salsabila, F., Damayanti, R., & Hanifah, S. (2024). Pengaruh norma atau budaya terhadap stigma pada orang dengan skizofrenia di Indonesia. Sport Science and Health, 6(6), 663–671. https://doi.org/10.17977/um062v6i62024p663-671
Sandhyagandhi, I. A. D., Raya, N. A. J., & Karin, P. A. E. S. (2026). Resilience experiences of people living with HIV in confronting stigma in Bali: A qualitative study. Jurnal Berita Ilmu Keperawatan, 19(2), 380–392. https://doi.org/10.23917/bik.v19i2.11046
Septiana, N., Liza, S. Z., & Kamaly, N. (2026). Effectiveness of a CERDAS app-based peer-counselor intervention in improving adolescent mental health: A randomized controlled trial. Jurnal Berita Ilmu Keperawatan, 19(2), 284–297. https://doi.org/10.23917/bik.v19i2.14755
Simões de Almeida, R., Trigueiro, M. J., Portugal, P., de Sousa, S., Simões-Silva, V., Campos, F., Silva, M., & Marques, A. (2023). Mental Health Literacy and Stigma in a Municipality in the North of Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043318
Siregar, K. Z. B., Wahyuni, E., & Marjo, H. K. (2024). Literature review: Intervensi untuk meningkatkan literasi kesehatan mental. G-Couns: Jurnal Bimbingan Dan Konseling, 8(3), 1706–1715. https://doi.org/10.31316/gcouns.v8i3.6133
Soria-Martínez, M., Navarro-Pérez, C. F., Pérez-Ardanaz, B., & Martí-García, C. (2024). Conceptual framework of mental health literacy: Results from a scoping review and a Delphi survey. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 33(2), 281–296. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13249
Subu, M. A., Dias, J. M., Mottershead, R., Ahmed, F. R., Narulita, S., Maryuni, M., Zakiyah, Z., Nurbaeti, I., Mohamed Al Marzouqi, A., & Al-Yateem, N. (2024). Exploring mental health stigma among Indonesian healthcare students towards individuals with mental illnesses: A qualitative study. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2024.2327103
Subu, M. A., Holmes, D., Arumugam, A., Al-Yateem, N., Dias, J. M., Rahman, S. A., Waluyo, I., Ahmed, F. R., & Abraham, M. S. (2022). Traditional, religious, and cultural perspectives on mental illness: A qualitative study on causal beliefs and treatment use. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2022.2123090
Tanaka, S., Maulina, V. V. R., Shanti, T. I., & Prabowo, M. W. (2025). Cultural diversity in beliefs regarding mental illness: comparison of Indonesian Muslims, Indonesian Christians, and Japanese non-religions. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1524680
Walsh, D., & Foster, J. (2024). Understanding the public stigma of mental illness: A mixed-methods, multi-level, exploratory triangulation study. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01887-3
Windarwati, H. D., Lestari, R., Poeranto, S., Ati, N. A. L., Kusumawati, M. W., Ilmy, S. K., Sulaksono, A. D., Fitriyah, E. T., & Oktaviana, W. (2023). Anxiety, depression, and associated factors among general population in Indonesia during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey. Journal of Caring Sciences, 12(3), 144–154. https://doi.org/10.34172/jcs.2023.33099
World Health Organization. (2022). World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240049338
Zaman, B., Miniharianti, Husna, N., Rabial, J., Bukhari, Munawwarah, K., & Uliyana. (2024). Hubungan pengetahuan dengan stigma masyarakat terhadap orang dengan gangguan jiwa. Jurnal Kesehatan Tambusai, 5(4), 12918–12925.
Zhang, H., & Firdaus, A. (2024). What does media say about mental health: A literature review of media coverage on mental health. Journalism and Media, 5(3), 967–979. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5030061
Zhang, Y., Zhou, M., Liang, R., Chen, J., Shi, P., Zheng, Y., Luo, X., Wu, Y., Yu, X., Wu, Y., Liang, S., Deng, W., Bueber, M. A., Phillips, M. R., & Li, T. (2025). Mental health literacy and the stigmatisation and discrimination of individuals affected by mental illnesses in China: A scoping review. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 61, 101642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2025.101642
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Falsa Melinda Putri, Wita Oktaviana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
