Mental Health Literacy, Resilience, and Positive Mental Health in Adolescents

Abstract

Positive mental health constitutes an essential foundation for adolescents’ development and represents a growing priority within public health promotion. This study aimed to examine the roles of mental health literacy and resilience in predicting positive mental health among adolescents in Semarang, Indonesia. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational design was employed involving high school students aged 12–18 years. Standardized instruments were used to assess mental health literacy, resilience, and positive mental health. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses.

The findings indicated that resilience emerged as a significant and consistent predictor of positive mental health, whereas mental health literacy did not demonstrate a stable direct association with positive mental health. Gender-based analyses further revealed that resilience significantly predicted positive mental health among both male and female adolescents, with a stronger effect observed among females. In contrast, the contribution of mental health literacy varied and remained comparatively weak.

These results suggest that adaptive psychological capacities, particularly resilience, play a more central role in supporting adolescents’ well-being than cognitive knowledge alone. Mental health promotion efforts in school settings should therefore integrate resilience-building strategies alongside mental health literacy education to foster sustainable positive mental health among adolescents.