Mental health literacy profiles and associated factors among young Chinese male soldiers: a latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND

Mental health literacy (MHL), defined as an individual’s knowledge, beliefs, and resources related to mental health disorders, is crucial for mental health. However, there is a lack of research evidence on young soldiers’ levels of MHL. To address this gap, this study aimed to explore MHL profiles and associated factors among young Chinese male soldiers.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study with 1,561 young Chinese male soldiers was conducted from April to December 2024. The participants were surveyed using the Multicomponent Mental Health Literacy Measure, Perceived Stress Scale, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Self-Rating Depression Scale. Latent profile analysis, chi-square tests, multiple logistic regression, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) test were conducted.

RESULTS

Latent profile analysis revealed three profiles characterized by high (n = 870, 55.73%), medium (n = 405, 25.95%), and low (n = 286, 18.32%) levels of MHL. The factors found to influence all HML profiles were age 18–23 years, less than 2 years of military service, and engagement in active psychological learning (P < 0.05). Recent exposure to stressful life events influenced the high and medium MHL profiles (P < 0.05). The low MHL profile had the highest risk of mental health problems, whereas the high MHL profile had the lowest risk (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Three latent MHL profiles were identified among young Chinese male soldiers. To promote soldiers’ mental health, specific interventions should be developed to target the specific characteristics of each profile. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.