Regional Disparities and Impact of Mental Health Literacy on Help-Seeking Intention among Chinese Rural and Urban Adolescents: An Empirical Study

Background:Mental health literacy (MHL) plays a crucial role in shaping adolescents’ help-seeking intentions (HSI). However, regional disparities, specifically between rural and urban areas, in MHL and HSI, and their interrelationships, remain underexplored among Chinese adolescents.
Objective: This study aims to investigate the potential rural-urban differences in MHL and HSI, and further examine the potential impact of MHL on HSI among Chinese adolescents.
Methods: A total of 140 junior high school students (urban: 70; rural: 70) aged 13-16 years were randomly selected as the participants. The Adolescent Mental Health Literacy Assessment and modified General Help-seeking Questionnaire were employed to measure MHL and HIS respectively. Covariance and t-tests were utilized to analyze regional differences; Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regression was conducted to explore MHL's impact on HSI.
Results: Adolescents from the urban site exhibited significantly higher MHL than those from the rural site, whereas differences in formal and informal HSI were not significant after covariates were considered. Preferences for help-seeking resources varied descriptively, with urban adolescents favoring mental health counsellors and the rural group favoring teachers. Specific dimensions of MHL predicted both professional and non-professional HSI.
Conclusion: Findings highlight a significant rural-urban difference in adolescents’ mental health literacy, while formal and informal help-seeking intentions were not significant after controlling for covariates. Specific aspects of mental health literacy partially predict help-seeking intentions, emphasizing the importance of targeted mental health education and developmental factors, such as age, in promoting effective help-seeking.