Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mental health literacy (MHL) is an essential but often overlooked competency in medical training. Deficits in MHL among physicians may compromise both patient care and physician well-being. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 305 resident physicians at Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine. Data were collected using the 22-item Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS). Group differences were analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA, with effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) reported. RESULTS: The mean MHLS score was 16.86 ± 2.88 (range: 0-22). Female residents scored higher than males (mean difference: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.2-1.6; d = 0.31). Unmarried residents had higher scores than married peers (mean difference: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.1-1.5; d = 0.28). Internal medicine residents achieved higher total scores compared to surgical residents (mean difference: 1.2; 95% CI: 0.2-2.2; η² ≈ 0.02). Psychiatry residents, including child and adolescent psychiatry, scored significantly higher in the resource subscale only (mean difference: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.2-1.8; d = 0.32). Other variables such as income level, chronic illness, or having a relative with mental illness showed no significant associations. CONCLUSIONS: Resident physicians' mental health literacy differed across demographic and specialty-related subgroups, with female, unmarried, and childless residents showing higher levels. Variation across specialties and training years suggests that both educational and experiential factors may play a role. These findings underscore the importance of integrating structured, specialty-inclusive educational strategies into residency training to address identified gaps.