Boosting mental health literacy in Chinese universities: A randomized controlled trial of intervention efficacy.

INTRODUCTION

To enhance mental health literacy among Chinese college students and prevent psychological distress, a comprehensive Mental Health Education Project was implemented. This study evaluates the efficacy of the project's intervention course in improving mental health literacy and examines its downstream effects on related psychological variables.

METHODS

Using a randomized controlled trial design, we recruited 2263 participants (age: 18-22 years, M = 21.1, SD = 1.87; 1312 males, 951 females) across five consecutive semesters. The intervention group completed a 3-month evidence-based mental health literacy curriculum delivered by trained instructors. Mixed linear modeling was used to analyze post-intervention scores for mental health literacy, life satisfaction, psychological resilience, and depression, adjusting for baseline measures and demographic covariates, including family financial status and enrollment place.

RESULTS

The intervention group demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements across all dimensions of mental health literacy (Cohen's d = 0.166-0.418), with additional significant gains in life satisfaction (d = 0.166) and psychological resilience (d = 0.105). Depression severity increased significantly over three months in the control group (d = 0.196), whereas depression levels remained stable in the intervention group. Moderator analyses indicated that, within the control group, students with higher family financial status exhibited better preservation of specific mental health literacy competencies: Self-focused mental health promotion (Dimension 3), Other-focused mental health promotion (Dimension 4), and Other-focused mental illness coping (Dimension 6). In the same group, higher baseline psychological resilience predicted more favorable development in Self-focused mental illness coping (Dimension 5).

CONCLUSIONS

Structured mental health literacy education yields multidimensional benefits among Chinese university students. These findings provide empirical support for broader implementation of the Mental Health Education Project.