Mental health awareness among educators in Malta

Abstract

Mental health is a major concern worldwide and most mental health conditions commence in adolescence, however these tend to be left undetected until adulthood. Research with regards to educators’ mental health literacy is still scarce, thus this study sheds light on this, and the relation of mental health literacy with early identification of mental disorders. The current study aims to investigate mental health knowledge, awareness and knowledge of educators in Malta. With the research question “Are Maltese educators aware of Mental Health issues”. This quantitative study included 306 participants from fifteen schools. This included ten state schools and five church schools from both the primary and the secondary sectors. Participants were recruited through the relevant department within the Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE) for state schools, and the Secretariat for Catholic Education for church schools. Educators participated through an online survey disseminated to them from the Head of school. Results show that in general educators show insufficient awareness of numerous mental health disorders and have few knowledge especially when identifying them. This study also found significant association between personal mental health experience and mental health awareness and attitudes. Interestingly, altough a lot of participants have experienced mental health disorders through their work they still showed insufficient knowledge of such disorders. This study has highlighted the importance of educators having adequate mental health awareness and knowledge. This is a major aspect in increasing students’ early identification of mental health problems.