Mental health literacy among resident physicians in Türkiye: a neglected competency in medical training?
BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION, cilt.25, sa.1, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 25 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.1186/s12909-025-08243-y
- Dergi Adı: BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Mental health literacy, Resident physicians, Medical training, Physician well-being, Medical education
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
BackgroundMental health literacy (MHL) is an essential but often overlooked competency in medical training. Deficits in MHL among physicians may compromise both patient care and physician well-being.MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 305 resident physicians at Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine. Data were collected using the 22-item Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS). Group differences were analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA, with effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) reported.ResultsThe mean MHLS score was 16.86 +/- 2.88 (range: 0-22). Female residents scored higher than males (mean difference: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.2-1.6; d = 0.31). Unmarried residents had higher scores than married peers (mean difference: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.1-1.5; d = 0.28). Internal medicine residents achieved higher total scores compared to surgical residents (mean difference: 1.2; 95% CI: 0.2-2.2; eta(2) approximate to 0.02). Psychiatry residents, including child and adolescent psychiatry, scored significantly higher in the resource subscale only (mean difference: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.2-1.8; d = 0.32). Other variables such as income level, chronic illness, or having a relative with mental illness showed no significant associations.ConclusionsResident physicians' mental health literacy differed across demographic and specialty-related subgroups, with female, unmarried, and childless residents showing higher levels. Variation across specialties and training years suggests that both educational and experiential factors may play a role. These findings underscore the importance of integrating structured, specialty-inclusive educational strategies into residency training to address identified gaps.