The construct category of mental health perceptions, knowledge, and skills refers to a collection of overlapping constructs, including illness perceptions (Leventhal et al., 2016), mental health literacy (Jorm et al., 1997), perceived need (Andersen et al., 2014), perceived severity (Rosenstock et al., 1988), and behavioral skills (Fisher & Fisher, 1992). These constructs originate from different theoretical traditions and their conceptual overlap has not yet been systematically explored in the literature. However, each has been shown to influence the mental health help seeking process.
For more details about this help-seeking determinant, please read Hammer and colleagues (2024), from which a portion of the information about this construct is excerpted.
A description of available mental health perceptions, knowledge, and skills measures can be found on the Structural Forces Measures page.