(TIỂU LUẬN) final project report applied statistics in economics and business topic awareness, need and ability of mental health care of university students in ho chi minh city

UEH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS FACULTY OF FINANCE FINAL PROJECT REPORT APPLIED STATISTICS IN ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS Topic: Awareness, need and ability of mental health care of university students in Ho Chi Minh City Instructor: Ph.D Huỳnh Thị Thu Thuỷ Class: FNC01 – K47 Class code: 21C1STA50802906 Group: List of members: Phan Hồng Trung Dung – 31211023396 (100%) Trình Yến Hà – 31211025609 (100%) Nguyễn Ngọc Minh Lộc – 31211024799 (100%) Nguyễn Tuyết Minh – 31211025946 (100%) Nguyễn Vũ Hải Minh – 31211024720 (100%) CONTENTS I - SUMMARY II - INTRODUCTION .1 Research problem Rationale Objectives Information that need to be collected Focuse and scope III - THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Understanding mental health Understanding mental disorders Determinants of mental problems The necessity of mental health care 5 Precautions and solutions IV - IMPLEMENTATION METHOD Target survey subjects Sampling method Collection tools Statistical methods Sampling description V - RESULTS AND DISCUSSION DESCRIPTIVE DATA PART 1: AWARENESS AND NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH CARE PART 2: THE NEED AND FIRST – AID SKILLS WHEN FACING MENTAL PROBLEMS 15 INFERENTIAL DATA 18 VI – RECOMMENDATIONS, LIMITATIONS, CONCLUSION 21 A) RECOMMENDATION 21 B) LIMITATIONS 22 C) CONCLUSION 22 REFERENCES I – SUMMARY Purpose: Mental health literacy or awareness of mental health is a necessity for early detection and intervention in mental diseases, and as a result, it has become a research emphasis in recent decades This study aims to investigate the attitudes towards mental health and assess mental health literacy of students in Hồ Chí Minh universities by identifying knowledge gaps, stereotypes about mental health problems, and their information-searching behaviors Moreover, it investigates how students react to factors affecting their mental health as well as mental health care status Methods: An online survey was distributed to 133 volunteers who are students in HCM universities as representatives Respondents were asked to respond to some demographic questions and questions about mental health including their attitudes, knowledge and perceptions, informationseeking habits, first-aid skills, and self-help strategies Results: Most of the respondents have heard about “mental health” and take this problem seriously by searching for relevant information sometimes through social media Moreover, they knew most of the common knowledge about mental health and got a high proportion of questions testing their awareness correctly They have many types of stress but not tend to rely on professionals Finally, they sometimes exercise, yoga, and meditation as well as get enough sleep, eat healthily, and strengthen their social relationships Conclusion: Most of the respondents have positive attitudes towards mental health and an adequate amount of knowledge about it Although various factors are affecting their well-being negatively, they tend to resolve it by themselves instead of seeking professional help In addition, they seem to take care of themselves properly by doing health-beneficial activities On this basis, not only individuals should take an effort in equipping themselves with the necessary information, but governmental and academic institutions should also put more emphasis on raising awareness about mental health II - INTRODUCTION Research problem Mental health literacy level of college students in Hồ Chí Minh city and their ability to take care of themselves when facing mental health problems Rationale The development of society is always closely associated with challenges One of the most basic issues which people are concerned about in this increasingly modern world is health However, when it comes to health, most people usually think of the physical side only, but forget another equally vital aspect which is mental health This status quo is even worse when today’s society often puts humans in difficult situations and complicated events that require them to have a strong mentality to cope with challenges Each of us has the same possibility of getting into psychological problems According to statistical data in Vietnam, the annual number of suicides is up to 40,000, which is 3-4 times higher than the number of deaths due to traffic accidents, and depression, a kind of mental illness, is responsible for about 75% of these cases This is not a small number, and this also acts as an alarm for us to take it more seriously when mentioning mental health Unfortunately, among young people aged 18-25 in Vietnam nowadays, mental health illnesses are widespread and show no sign of decreasing It is estimated that at least million young people and adolescents in Vietnam are struggling with psychological problems Although the university environment can provide students with a huge number of opportunities to express and develop themselves, it also brings many challenges for them, who are independent and forced to face real life for the first time The mental health problems of university students resulting from this fact can come from many different reasons such as academic pressure, financial difficulties, relationships with family members and friends as well as expectations from other people, etc A study by Nguyen Huu Thu at Hanoi National University in 2009 found that 79% of students suffered mild stress, 3.2% were moderately stressed and the rest were not stressed Mental health problems cause unpredictable consequences, not only for people who are suffering but also for their families and society, and the most serious one is a suicide, which none of us wants Nevertheless, the awareness of the high level of this problem’s danger is underrated by people, especially university students, who are the future owners of our country This fact leads students to ignore mental health care and not be able to realize whether they have got psychological problems or not, as well as not being able to control the progress of their development It is usually too late when they are aware of the matter, and they often have to receive undesirable consequences For that reason, our group has decided to carry out a research project on “Awareness, need and ability of mental health care of university students in Ho Chi Minh City” to figure out the causes as well as the status of mental health among Ho Chi Minh City university students From that, we can suggest solutions to prevent suicide, treat mental health disorders and improve the quality of student’s life so that they can have a productive learning process Ensuring that university students are fully supported in all facets of life, including their mental health, is critical for laying the foundation for a healthy and productive adulthood Objectives We are going to survey and collect the data about the awareness, needs, and capacity of 133 students to maintain their mental health in this project, with some specific targets: + Identifying and analyzing the recognition and demands to take care of the mental health, which can evaluate the understanding, clarify the lack of knowledge of mental health of students + Measuring the ability that students can keep their mental health at a safe level, with some ways like help-seeking and first-aid skills or self-help strategies We expect that we will provide some useful, essential information, help them have an overview perspective about mental health literacy to comprehend more without misunderstanding about this, and have some ways to take care of their mental health Information that needs to be collected The type of questions: closed-ended questions (give the respondent a predetermined set of answers to choose from) - Questions about the personal information (Age, University, Ordinal scale, Majors) - A binary answer (yes/no): + Opinions about mental health (question 12,13) + Have they ever heard about “mental health” - A scale (with five points ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree) + Rate how important mental health care is to students + Judgment about mental health - A scale (with points ranging from Never to Regularly): Mental health care habits - A list of options with a single answer possible + The frequency that students research about mental health information: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Regularly) - A list of options with multiple answers possible: + According to them, what mental health-related is (question 10) + Which mental health ailments they know (question 11) + Mental health of people around students (Parents, Relatives, Friends) + Factors that are negatively affecting student’s mental health + How students deal with mental crisis Distribute the survey and collect responses Focuse and scope - Target survey subject: 133 students at universities located in HCM city - Survey scope: Universities in HCM city - Survey time: This survey was done in December 2021 III - THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Understanding mental health We use the definition given by the World Health Organization (WHO), who stated that “mental health” is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to his or her community” This is also the theoretical basis for forming the questions about factors related to mental health Thereby, we hope to receive people's general views on the concept of mental health, which is the first basic step to survey the level of their awareness as well as their need and ability to take care of mental health For each right statement about definition of mental health, respondents will get point of mentalhealth-literacy score Knowledge gaps and erroneous beliefs concerning mental health issues are both the key problem we need to assess for early recognition and intervention in mental disorders Some of the most common misconceptions related to mental health (1 Depression is not a disease It's just an imagination, aggravating the problems of the weak/ Only losers have mental disorders/ Only adults have mental problems) have been included in the questionnaire to investigate their prevalence Advances in neuroscience and behavioural medicine have shown that, like many physical illnesses, mental and behavioural disorders are the result of a complex interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors Therefore, they need a clear treatment regimen, just like illnesses related to physical health In addition, mental disorders can affect anyone regardless of their ages, their socioeconomic status or how good their life appears at face value This can be proved by the anxiety arising from pressure to succeed of a young person doing well in school or the percentage ranging from 8% to 29% in the prevalence of general mental health problems in Vietnamese children and adolescents Dispelling myths about mental health can help break the stigma and create a culture that encourages people of any age to seek support when they need it For each disagreement with erroneous belief, respondents will get point of mental-health-literacy score Understanding mental disorders During the COVID-19 pandemic, statistics related to mental disorders increased significantly, such as the prevalence of depressive disorders (31.4%), anxiety disorders (31.9%) and sleep disorders (41.1%) Therefore, understanding some common mental disorders can help people detect them in time and get the right treatment That is also the reason why we put some mental illnesses in the survey to investigate the level of mental health literacy They include: • • • • • • • Anxiety disorder: The main signs are excessive worry, overthinking, perfectionism, muscle tension, insomnia, digestive problems, etc Depression (depressive disorder): According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the most common disease worldwide and ranks second in the global burden of disease Depression is characterized by sadness, loss of interest in activities, and decreased energy Other symptoms include loss of confidence and self-esteem, inappropriate guilt, thoughts of death and suicide, diminished concentration, and disturbance of sleep and appetite Though depressive feelings are common, especially after experiencing setbacks in life, depressive disorder is diagnosed only when the symptoms reach a threshold and last at least two weeks Bipolar disorder: Bipolar affective disorder refers to patients with depressive illness along with episodes of mania characterized by elated mood, increased activity, overconfidence and impairedconcentration Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): the patient is obsessed with something, such as numbers, excessive cleanliness, having to arrange objects in a perfect way, etc Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): is an obsession, fear, or tension that occurs after a horrendous event that the patient has personally experienced or witnessed Social anxiety disorder: People with this disorder tend to be afraid of socializing, afraid of crowds, afraid of going out and almost want to be alone, working independently Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is a severe disorder that typically begins in late adolescence or early adulthood It is characterized by fundamental distortions in thinking and perception, and by inappropriate emotions, with signs of delusions, emotional outbursts, and violent behavior For each type of mental disorder respondents know, they will get point for mental – health – literacy score Determinants of mental problems Modern scientific evidence indicates that mental and behavioral disorders are the result of genetics plus environment or, in other words, the interaction of biology with psychological and social factors As a result, there is no single cause for mental illness, several factors can contribute to risk for mental illnesses, such as: a Biological factors: According to the World Health Report 2001, mental and behavioral disorders have been shown to be associated with disruptions of neural communication within specific circuits It can be said that mental disorders are accompanied by abnormal changes in the nervous system, and therefore have a significant impact on brain development In addition, genetic factors also play a role in the development of mental disorders, although its scientific basis is quite complex b Environment: This includes all factors outside the human body's mechanism of action such as living location, personal income, the presence of major physical diseases, the use of alcohol or drugs, family relation, study process… c Life experiences and injuries, such as trauma or a history of abuse (for example, child abuse, sexual assault, witnessing violence, etc.): Studies suggest that all significant events in life act as stressors and, coming in quick succession, predispose the individual to mental disorders One of the worst consequences of a mental disorder is suicide Unfortunately, the 18-21 age group reported the highest number of suicidal thoughts (4.4% of all young adults aged 18-21) Additionally, a substantial number of individuals with schizophrenia attempt suicide at some time during their illness Globally, schizophrenic illness reduces an affected individual’s lifespan by an average of 10 years In our efforts to reduce the danger of this situation, and based on the information we found above, we have added two questions in the survey, one related to people's perceptions and thoughts about the causes and consequences of mental disorders (1 Mental disorders have the potential to affect the ability of the brain to function/ High levels of stress can lead to mental disorders/ Overuse of alcohol and stimulants can cause mental disorders), while the remaining question aims to investigate the influence of the factors mentioned on students' mental health in the present time For each facts about mental disorders that respondents considered it as true, they will get points of mental-health-literacy score The necessity of mental health care Understanding the benefits of mental health care will motivate university students to learn about this concept and to increase their needs for care Consequently, we decided to ask a question about the most important mental health care benefit from their opinions The question consists of the most known benefits: • • Live happier: According to the Origins of Happiness report, eliminating mental health issues such as depression and anxiety would increase happiness by 20%, whereas eliminating poverty would increase happiness by only 5% In other words, the relationship between mental health and happiness has been proved based on extensive research Improve physical health: The link between physical and mental health is most evident in chronic conditions: - Poor mental health is a risk factor for chronic physical conditions - People with severe mental problems are at increased risk of suffering chronic physical problems - People with chronic physical problems are at increased risk of developing poor mental health Ensure work efficiency: According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy approximately one trillion dollars annually due to lost productivity Not having a good state of mental health will make us lose the ability to endure, handle work pressure as well as manage time We will also easily lose focus and have difficulty in dealing with negative feedback from customers and interacting with others Precautions and solutions • a Precautions: • • • • b Exercise, meditation, yoga: Due to the strong link between physical and mental health, those are all helpful techniques for reducing the negative impact of stress Get enough sleep: Sleep is the time for the body to recover and the time when the brain and the body relaxes after a long day of muscular activity Healthy eating: What we put on our plates will become the raw material for our brains to manufacture hormones and neurotransmitters – chemical substances that control our sleep, mood, and behaviour Build a solid foundation of social relations: The importance of having friends is noted in all interviews, regardless of gender Solutions: • • Share with family/friends or people who are in the same situation when you have some symptoms of mental illnesses: Sharing your troubles with others may help you to put things in perspective and to feel that you are not alone Seek professional support: Navigating trauma, depression, and anxiety, or other strains on mental health is complicated Therefore, reaching out for help from a professional, in some cases, can be the best solution to your mental disorders Based on that knowledge, we have formulated questions related to solutions and precautions: one question included the precautions we mentioned above to assess students' self-help strategies, more questions about how students respond when they have a mental disorder as well as when witnessing their friends and relatives suffering these difficulties IV - IMPLEMENTATION METHOD Target survey subjects: 133 students at universities located in HCM city Sampling method: Voluntary sampling method (nonprobability sampling method) This project uses typical methods: quantitative and qualitative measure • The qualitative measure is implemented to assess the mental health literacy of students, their information-seeking behaviors, identifying stereotypes toward mental health problems, selfhelp strategies • The quantitative measure is implemented to identify interval estimation for the population mean of mental health literacy score, quantify the difference between male and female mental health literacy level and the difference between the most common degrees of the regularity of self-help behavior conducted the students (sometimes and often) Collection tools: Because of time restrictions and the complexity of the pandemic situation, survey results are collected online via Google Form These students attended the survey by answering questions in this form published in a variety of groups, social media (Facebook) voluntarily Our group will then collect data through the online questionnaire mentioned in the survey form Statistical methods for data analysis: • Descriptive statistics: using a pie chart, bar chart, column chart, line chart, area chart, doughnut chart, bubble chart, scatter diagram, stacked bar chart, frequency distribution, dot plot, histogram, side-by-side bar chart • Inferential statistics: interval estimation, inferences about the difference between two populations means: independent samples, hypothesis test, inferences about the difference between two population proportions, correlation coefficient Question to 3: asking out demographic information Question to 9: asking about their attitudes towards mental health including how serious mental health matters to them and how they access relevant information Question 10 to 13: testing to what extent respondents understand about mental health We evaluate mental health literacy by summing all the points for each question (for item that they know, they will get point (question 10,11); for right assessment about mental health, they will get point (question 12 choose “Right”, question 13 choose “Wrong”) The higher overall scores they get, the higher levels of their mental health literacy Question 14 to 17: Ask about the reality of the mental health of respondents and how they react to understand the need for a liable care system Question 18: Ask about the regularity of beneficial activities that they Sampling description We have surveyed students from different universities and selected 133 satisfactory samples Gender The pie chart gives information about the gender that took part in the survey As is observed from the graph, most of the respondents are female (95 people, accounting for 71,4% of the total), the rest are male (38 people, accounting for 28,6% of the total), compared to a total of 100 survey subjects It is noticeable that there is a big difference in the ratio between male and female School year Concerning the responses of the survey, a clear majority of the survey subjects are first-year students with 86 people (91%) On the other hand, the Junior participated in only 14,3% of the sample, while the Sophomore and Senior students were the least represented of the four types of university students, with only 10,5% If we look at the Pareto graph as a whole, nearly 20% of the total number of students participating in the survey agreed that the benefit of mental health care is "Ensure work efficiency" (17.3%) The next considerable benefit is the “Improvement of physical health” (13.5%) Additionally, the level of students choosing is more pronounced as they favor "Live a happier life", with an overwhelming percentage (68.4%), the opposite was true for only one student choosing “No benefits” (approximately 0.8%) It can be explained that a study by UNICEF in Vietnam published in 2017 showed that about 30% of the burden of non-communicable diseases is due to mental health disorders A focus on mental health has the potential to generate more personal, social, and economic benefits than intervention at any point in time This shows that timely psychological support and counseling will help us control our mood more proactively, therefore live happier • Regularity of information – seeking behaviors As can be seen from the scatter diagram, Regarding the frequency of seeking information about mental health, there are 57.1% of sometimes, 21.1% of rarely, 14.3% of often However, it is still worrying as illustrated with 7.5% of students who self-report the questionnaire, they said that they had never searched for information related to mental health This number can be explained by a university professor in Vietnam who also raised a worrying situation, that is, there are cases of people who have suffered from mental health problems for 10 years, then seek help and treatment Therefore, a lot of people only seek information when the problems are already serious This is an alarming number, and this is one of the dangerous factors leading to anxiety among students because when faced with stressful situations, it is easy to fall into anxiety That worry has a basis because we often pay attention to our physical health and neglect our mental health This problem, not only in each student, but even in agencies, units, and families, hardly or less pay attention to the mental health status of each member And when each student encounters "psychological problems", they can only endure and often handle it in an extreme direction This would be very dangerous, especially in modern society • Information source 11 To know how students find information about mental health, we investigated whether the choices were possible and found that 53.9% of students looked for Websites, Youtube, and other social media to answer their troubles Another group chose Books, Newspapers are the best way to update information (20.7%) Similarly, the figures illustrated for “Medical centers, hospitals, professionals” and “From friends, relatives” described a decline compared with the previous category of around 11.1% and 14.3% respectively This also indicates that students have difficulty accessing health services because of the stigmas still associated with mental health problems Currently, popularized in the media, mass information about mental health counseling/consulting services abounds However, through the research results, we found that the percentage of students who chose to go to a psychologist, a psychological counseling call center, or a mental health center was the lowest This may suggest the hypothesis that students not have much time outside of study, so they not know about other services of psychological counseling • Reliability of information source From the preliminary information data level of the survey, with the highest percentage in all four cases (74%), the group of opinions believes with the content they find through search engines, compared to about 2.4% slightly untrustful and no data in “untrustful” was recorded Looking at these 12 positive responses we also find that the information they find on their own makes it easier for students to find and helps them improve and cope with mental health issues However, why are students less likely to choose to completely believe when the number is only recorded about 15.4% of the overall? On the mass media, no matter how abundant it is, it still cannot satisfy everyone's needed to learn On the other hand, because it must convey a huge amount and volume of information, the content still cannot avoid certain errors such as duplicate content, sometimes contradictory, unconvincing evidence, and encouraging information report lack of feasibility …make people inevitably worry, wonder and lack confidence…There is content that gives very practical advice, but it seems too difficult to follow, uses many technical terms that are difficult to understand, or sentences with multiple meanings can easily lead to misunderstandings • Definition of “mental health” The results of the survey on what factors are related to mental health show that up to 112 students suggest that one of the key factors associated with mental health is “emotional and psychological” Following closely is the data of the factor "The ability to deal with stress and difficulties’’ (95 people) The lowest rate reflected in 24.8% of 133 students choosing “Be active and contribute to the community copper” Mental health is fundamental to the well-being and productive functioning of individuals Mental health is not only the absence of mental disorders but also includes the ability to think, learn, and understand one's feelings and the reactions of others Mental health is a state of balance, both within the body and with the environment Physical, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual, and other related factors are all involved in creating this balance Therefore, we can see that the data are relatively distributed 13 • Common diseases The chart illustrates the proportion of the capacity of knowing some disorder of 133 students (Schizophrenia, Social anxiety disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Obsessive Compulsive disorder, Bipolar disorder, Depression, and Anxiety disorders.) Overall, most of them have heard about these disorders, especially Depression and Anxiety Disorder are the most typical, with 76 and 72 students knowing respectively Moreover, Obsessive Compulsive disorder is the third most known, accounting for particularly 69 students There are around 27 to 51 respondents who know about Post-traumatic stress disorder, Bipolar disorder, Social anxiety disorder, and Schizophrenia However, there are only students who not know about these disorders It seems that almost every student has known about these disorders, which shows the concern of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors about the disorders of mental health This is a positive statistic because most respondents have heard about these disorders, even though these have just been popularized recently Knowledge about mental disorders can help them realize the symptoms of these problems However, there are still some students who not care about their psychological health, although there is mass information about these mental confusions • Identifying erroneous beliefs about mental disorders 14 A considerable majority of respondents out of 133 students who completed the survey have agreed with these statements, which are “Mental disorders have the potential to affect the ability of the brain to function”, “high stress can lead to mental disorders'', and “drinking too much alcohol and stimulants can cause mental disorders” The ones whose consideration are “right” about these above statements account for 125 to 117 people respectively Those who think these are “wrong” are relatively few respondents, about to 16 people As mentioned in theoretical basis, all statements above are “right” and most of students know well about these facts • Identifying stereotypes about mental disorders In general, there are 75% to almost 87% people, who totally and partly disagree about these three statements, which are “Depression is not a disease It's just an imagination, aggravating the problems of the weak”, “only losers have mental disorders”, and “only adults have mental problems” Only a few respondents are agreeing Only a few respondents are agreeing concerning these sentences, about to people As mentioned in theoretical basis, all statements above are erroneous beliefs about mental problems Since most of students disagree with these beliefs, they seem to have positive attitudes towards mental health 15 PART 2: THE NEED AND FIRST – AID SKILLS WHEN FACING MENTAL PROBLEMS • The proximity to people with mental health problems Concerning the responses of the survey, a clear majority of the survey subjects are people with “Do not have anyone" and “Friends”, with 45 and 41 students Moreover, “Inconvenience to respond” occupied 12%, with 24 people On the contrary, “Acquaintances” participated in only 11% of the sample, while “Self” and “Close relatives” fluctuated around (21% to 18%) These results reveal a warning among students when there are a lot of people who are facing mental problems around them, even themselves, about 92,4% However, there are 45 respondents who not have anyone having negative effects on mental health, which make up the highest figure • Factors that negatively affecting students’ mental health There are only 17 people among 133 respondents choosing “Others” besides “Studying”, “Jobs after graduation”, “Health”, and “Relationship” On the other hand, “Studying” is the option that most of them choose as a factor affecting their mental health, accounting for 33% Moreover, “Relationship” takes up more than 25%, which is more than “Jobs after graduation” 3% Because 64,7% of 133 respondents are freshmen who have recently changed the environment from high school to university, the object causing negative effects for most of them is “Studying” In contrast, “Health” is the least affected factor besides “Others”, chosen by 48 students 16 • First – aid skills when facing mental health crisis More than half of students prefer to spend their time relaxing, taking care of themselves (103 people), using the social network to forget about the crisis (specifically 61 students), or sharing with someone like friends, close relatives when they have a mental crisis (61 people and 56 people respectively) But there are also a few people who don’t care about the crisis, with people It can be easily understood that most of the respondents choose the option “Spending their time to relax” because “Do things that are good for your body and mind” is one of tips of UNICEF recommends for people when they are in a stressful situation Nevertheless, there are still people who neglect their mental statements although they are in stressful times • First – aid skills when students’ friends/ relatives facing mental difficulties Overall, people tend to listen, share without prejudice when their friends, relatives, having trouble with their mental health, with a significant number of students filling in the survey, about 121 people (91%) Furthermore, nearly 31% will advise them to seek professional assistance Yet only of 133 people ignore the mental difficulties of their friends, relatives, with 6% 17 This is a positive figure that almost everyone in the survey will be willing to listen to, and share without prejudice forward to their friends, relatives who are stuck in the crisis Conversely, we found that the percentage of students who not care about those who are having trouble with mental health is relatively low • Mental – health – beneficial habits There is a slight fluctuation in half of 133 students sometimes doing exercise, yoga or meditation, getting enough sleep, or eating healthy when they self-evaluate their mental health care habits On the other hand, the option that is chosen by 58 people who usually build a solid foundation of social relations to take care of their mental health is “Building social relationships” Nevertheless, there are also about to 16 respondents who never take up these above hobbies to manage their mental health Assessing the data, we found a wonderful signal that half of the students attending the survey cared about their mental health, by maintaining good habits like meditating, sleeping well, or eating healthy, etc However, there are still few people who consider mental health unimportant and not give a chance to take up these habits INFERENTIAL DATA Providing a 95% confidence interval for the population mean of mental-health-literacy score (Scores are calculated as presented in implementation method and theoretical basis) Sample mean µ = 12.47 Sample standard deviation s = 3.5 Confidence coefficient (1 - a ) = 95% => Level of significance a = - 0.95 = 0.05 18 Degrees of freedom = n - = 133-1= 132 Using t distribution: t a/2 = t 0.025 = 1.96 Margin of error: x a/2 + t a/2 ! √# = 12.47 + 1.96 $.& √'$$ Thus, we are 95% confident that the mean mental-health-literacy score for the population of students in HCM city is between 11.88 to 13.06 (the maximum score is 18) This indicates that most of the students in HCM city have an adequate amount of knowledge about mental health problems as well as having the right perception of these problems It maybe because most of students in HCM city have high availability internet access where they can easily find information as well as have been educated about mental health in workshops, trainings, … Hypothesis test about the difference between the mental health literacy level between female and male Using t-test for independent samples Level of significance a = 5% was considered Sample size Female Male n1 = 95 n1 = 38 s1 = 3.24 s2 = 3.81 𝑥" = 13 Sample mean Sample standard deviation 𝑥" = 11.16 µ1 = the mean score of mental health literacy for female students µ2 = the mean score of mental health literacy for male students Assuming that the population mean of mental-health-literacy score of female students is less than male ones The null and alternative hypotheses are written as follows: H0: µ1 - µ2 ≤ H a: µ - µ > Test statistics t = ( )*! +,)* ")+.# $ $ / ! ,0, " , " %! $ $ ( ! 0, " )" " df = = " 4&."( ,0,&.+! , " " = " = 2.62 &+ )* %" %! %" " " $ $! " ! ! ,( " )" ,( ) 0, %" ,! %" %! ,! %! ( '$,–,''.'2)+3 ( &."(" &.+!" " ) 0, &+ )* ! ! &.+!" " &."(" " ) ) 0, ,( ,( &+ )* &+-,! )*-,! = 59.54 With 59 degrees of freedom, t = 2.62 ð p – value = 0.005 to 0.01 Thus, the p-value is less than a = 05 and H0: µ1 - µ2 ≤ is rejected Therefore, the research study supports the conclusion that female got higher score than male 19 With 59 degrees of freedom, t.025 = 2.001 95% confidence interval estimate of the difference between the two population means 𝑥"' −$ 𝑥" ± 𝑡.35&' !!" #! $ + $ " $ = (13$– $11.16) ± 2.001' !" #" $.56 " 7& $+$ $ = 1.84 ± 1.4 $.8'" $8 With the level of significance a = 5%, the population means of female students’ mental-healthliteracy-score is higher than the one of male students, quantitatively, between 0.44 and 3.24 This could be understood that female students pay more attention to mental health and acquire more knowledge than male, and as a result, they got higher mental health literacy Idenitfying relationship between the number of factors of stress that each student face and the number of mental-health-beneficial habits maintained regularly 𝑥9 denotes the number of factors of stress that a student faces => 𝑥" (sample mean) 𝑦9 denotes the number of mental-health-beneficial habits maintained regularly => 𝑦3 (sample mean) sx denotes the standard deviation of the number of factors of stress sy denotes the standard deviation of the number of mental-health-beneficial habits maintained regularly sxy denotes the covariance between the number of factors of stress that each student face and the number of mental-health-beneficial habits maintained regularly rxy denotes the correlation coefficient between the number of factors of stress that each student face and the number of mental-health-beneficial habits maintained regularly sxy = S,() +,) * ) (: +,:;) #+' sx = ' #+' sy = ' #+' S,(,) +,) * )" S,(,: +,:; )" rxy = !/0 =' =' 3.3$ !/ !0 3.77∗'.5' = = '$$+' = 0.03 6.$5 '58.28 '$$+' '75.7& '$$+' = 0.99 = 1.21 =0.03 The correlation is close to zero, so the relationship between the number of factors of stress that a student faces and the number of mental-health-beneficial habits that maintained regularly is very weak This means that although students nowadays face various types of stresses, which are potential factors of mental disorders, they not make effort in releave stress by healthy activities regularly The 20 reason for this situation might be that they are not very concerned with their mental health status but just let it be This indifference can lead higher proportion of having mental disorder in the future unless they try to releave stress by beneficial activities Identifying the confidence interval estimate for the difference between two population proportions of seeking professional help when students and their relatives/ friends/ acquaintances facing mental health problems Level of significance a = 5% was considered When student’ relatives/ When students themselves friends/ acquaintances facing mental health facing mental health problem problems Sample size n = 133 Number of respondents 60 seeking professional help 13 Proportions of respondents 𝑝"5 = 23 = 0.45 '$$ seeking professional help $𝑝"' −$ 𝑝"5 $ ± $ 𝑧1 ' " =*!-('+,=*!) # + =*"-('+,=*" ) # n = 133 𝑝"' = '$ '$$ = 0.09 $ 0.45(1 − 0.45) 0.09(1 − $0.09) + = $0.45 − 0.09 ± $1.96: 133 133 = 0.36 ± 0.1 Thus, the margin of error is 0.1 and the 95% confidence interval for the difference between two population proportions of students seeking professional help when themselves and their relatives/ friends/ acquaintances facing mental health problems is 0.26 to 0.46 VI – RECOMMENDATIONS, LIMITATIONS, CONCLUSION A) RECOMMENDATION Suggestions for raising the mental health literacy level We should collaborate with the media; we should work with journalists and other media specialists to build mental health initiatives Communication techniques should be entertaining and varied, including exciting photographs and videos To attract the students' attention, we may ask celebrities to share their personal experiences with mental health and mental health difficulties We might partner with radio or podcasts to send information about mental health to students - In addition, governmental or authorized agencies should put more effort into enhancing mental health literacy for male students, who generally have got lower scores compared to their female friends, with suitable and engaging activities to attract their attention in mental health Suggestions for enhancing the accuracy of publicly available mental health information 21 Governmental or authorized agencies should organize information on mental health Governmental agencies such as the National Institute of Mental Health and psychiatric hospitals and non-governmental organizations in Vietnam such as WHO or UNICEF should have brochures and websites providing accurate information on mental health that are reliable Students should trust governmental organizations and universities more than random websites A vast public dataset with scientifically grounded information about mental health disorders and therapy, as well as a directory of psychologists, psychiatrists, and other providers, should be created This database should be simple to use and structured by geographical location, kind of mental health concern Suggestions for decreasing resistance to seeking professional help when facing mental health problems We should increase the mental health literacy of the leaders, the government should be more concerned about mental health, we must advocate for mental health policies that provide the legal recognition of the profession of psychologists and the control and assurance of service quality Then students can seek mental health information and assistance from certified psychologists and recognized organizations Leaders at general hospitals (i.e., non-psychiatric; emphasis added) must understand mental health to support mental health-related services We need to collaborate with hospital directors in psychiatric institutions to raise their knowledge of the need for public mental health literacy, as well as collaboration on community initiatives and campaigns At the moment, most psychiatric hospitals focus only on direct within-site services Universities need psychologists and social workers to be always on-call, ready to listen to students' mental health issues and provide the quickest and most appropriate solution Suggestions for efficient equipment students with self-help strategies Extracurricular activities should be organized so that students can relax after a stressful study session, and we should have a talk show where students can share the problems, they are constantly struggling with to find solutions for themselves Moreover, we should begin with mental health psychoeducation programs for pupils in universities, such as "how to balance your personal life and job" or "anger management programs for young adults." B) LIMITATIONS The student-gathered sample of this study focused only on the Ho Chi Minh City area; if it is conducted on a broader scale, more universities, the representation, and objectivity will be higher The topic uses a convenience sampling method, so it may not be generalized to all survey subjects Due to the short length of the survey, the limitations and amateurism in using knowledge deter collecting the data analysis in the best way C) CONCLUSION Based on a survey of cognitive and awareness of mental health care needs and mental health care capabilities from 133 students in Ho Chi Minh City, some conclusions can be made as follows: The conclusions of this study give people a better overview of students' perceptions, needs, and health care abilities, thereby changing the way people are concerned about mental health problems At the same time, we can assess the level of mental health understanding in students as quite good Although most students think that mental health is essential to them, they only occasionally learn information 22 about mental health, mostly on social media, websites, and YouTube, which not contain content censorship and may contain much misinformation Of the seven common mental health-related illnesses in the survey, most students were aware of only three: anxiety disorder (AD), depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Most of the students have positive attitudes towards mental health and an adequate amount of knowledge about it and female students have a higher mental health literacy level than male ones Studying is thought to influence students negatively, and students often solve their mental problems without the help of any experts The majority of students choose to listen when their friends or relatives have mental health problems but cannot help them more Students not regularly participate in healthy activities for mental health relief such as sports, yoga, meditation, or full sleep, healthy meals 23 REFERENCES World Health Organization (October 2001) The World Health Report 2001 – Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope World Health Organization, Geneva 1-45 The United Nations Children’s Fund (2015) Mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and young people in some provinces and cities in Vietnam, Summary report UNICEF Vietnam, Hanoi 6-10 The United Nations Children’s Fund.(2017).The nature of the problem of suicide among children and adolescents in some provinces/cities in Vietnam,Summary report.UNICEF Vietnam, Hanoi 5-6 Dr Le Dinh Phuong - Head of Department of General Internal Medicine and Family Medicine, FV Hospital (2021, August 25) Depression overview Retrieved December 2021, from: https://benhlytramcam.vn/benh-ly-tram-cam-237/ Vinmec Times City International Hospital Current state of depression in Vietnam Retrieved December 2021, from: https://www.vinmec.com/vi/tin-tuc/thong-tin-suc- khoe/tinh-trang- tramcam-o-viet-nam-hien-nay/ Nguyen Huu Thu, Nguyen Ba Dat (2009) Types of stress coping in learning of students at Hanoi National University 41-46 Hoang Minh Dang, Trung T Lam, Anh Dao, Bahr Weiss (2020) Mental health literacy at the public health level in low and middle income countries Journals https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0244573 Pedro Dias, Luísa Campos, Helena Almeida, Filipa Palha (Published online 2018, June 23) Mental Health Literacy in Young Adults: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (NLM/NIH): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC6068770/ MentalHealth.gov (2020, May 28) What Is Mental Health?: https://www.mentalhealth gov/ basics/what-is-mental-health 10 Khánh Trí (2020, November 11) The rate of people suffering from depression increases, results in high risk of suicide Labor Newspaper, Vietnam General Confederation of Labor: https://laodong.vn/dinh-duong-am-thuc/ty-le-nguoi-mac-tram-cam-gia-tang-nguy- co- cao-timden-tu-sat-853332.ldo 11 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021, June 28) About Mental Health: https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm 12 Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto Branch Benefits of Good Mental Health: https://toronto.cmha.ca/documents/benefits-of-good-mental-health/ 13 Chartered Accountants Benevolent Association Happiness Depends On Mental Health, Not Money, Say Economists https://www.caba.org.uk/help-and-guides/information/ happinessdepends-mental-health 14 Sarah Browne (2021, January 12) Reasons Why Mental Health Is So Important: https://www.lifehack.org/874881/why-is-mental-health-important 15 Katherine Meikle How Does Mental Health Affect Work Performance? PassportHealth: https://www.passporthealthusa.com/employer-solutions/blog/2018-12-how-does-mental-healthaffect-work-performance/ 16 Kelly Miller (2021, December 6) The Benefits of Mental Health According to Science PositivePsychology.com: https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-mental-health/ 17 Ministry of Health (2021, October 10) Deputy Minister of Health: The incidence of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased: https://moh.gov.vn/tin-tong-hop//asset_publisher/k206Q9qkZOqn/content/thu-truong-bo-y-te-ty-le-mac-cac-roi-loan-tam-thantrong-ai-dich-covid-19-gia-tang 18 The United Nations Children’s Fund How to take care of yourself during stressful times: How to take care of yourself during stressful times | UNICEF 19 Ministry of Health, General Statistics Office, World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund (2010) The National Survey Assessment of Vietnamese Youth Round (SAVY 2) Hanoi, Viet Nam ... research project on ? ?Awareness, need and ability of mental health care of university students in Ho Chi Minh City? ?? to figure out the causes as well as the status of mental health among Ho Chi Minh City. .. survey of cognitive and awareness of mental health care needs and mental health care capabilities from 133 students in Ho Chi Minh City, some conclusions can be made as follows: The conclusions of. .. get points of mental- health- literacy score The necessity of mental health care Understanding the benefits of mental health care will motivate university students to learn about this concept and