Factors Associated With Mental Health Literacy in HIV Care: Evidence From a Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study to Inform Interventions.

CONTEXT: People living with HIV are at a higher risk of mental disorders compared with the general population. However, their mental health needs are often unmet. Mental health literacy is vital to addressing this gap.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined mental health literacy levels and associated factors among people living with HIV in Vietnam.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND

PARTICIPANTS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on people living with HIV recruited though convenience sampling from 6 Community Counseling and Support Clinics across Ho Chi Minh City between February and April 2024. Participants were interviewed face-to-face using a predefined questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, mental health experiences, the Mental Health Literacy Scale, the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire, and the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill Scale.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) was used to assess the level of mental health literacy. Correlation and linear regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between mental health literacy, help-seeking behavior, and stigma. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify factors independently associated with mental health literacy.

RESULTS

Among all 900 participants, the majority were male (77.3%) with a mean age of 37.2 ± 9.6 years. The mean MHLS score was 95.5 ± 11.8. Lower mental health literacy was significantly associated with older age, female gender, lower education levels, absence of a history of mental illness, not knowing someone with a mental disorder, limited use of the Internet for mental health information or no Internet use, lower levels of help-seeking behavior, and higher levels of stigma.

CONCLUSIONS

The MHLS scores among people living with HIV in this study were comparable with those reported in similar populations, suggesting a moderate level of awareness overall. Targeted interventions addressing stigma, digital access, and mental health education, especially for older adults, women, and those with limited exposure to mental health information, are needed to improve mental health literacy and support better mental health outcomes.