earticle

영어

Gender-related differences are a widely discussed topic in mental health research, as sex and gender interact in more complex ways to affect mental health risk, progression and outcomes than other non-psychological problems. In this study, we explored the interrelationship of gender, mental health status, and mental health literacy, utilizing data from China General Social Survey (CGSS). Our central goal was to investigate the gender gap in mental health within Chinese society and illuminate its underlying causal pathway. Drawing upon current literature, we posited gender disparities exist in mental health in Chinese society, with women reporting lower levels of mental health than their male counterparts. We also hypothesized that mental health literacy plays an important intermediary role in this relationship. Our investigation utilized a representative sample drawn from CGSS, in which the richness of the population-wide data offers invaluable insights into the intricate dynamics between gender, mental health status, and mental health literacy. Employing a multistep data analysis approach, we began with a bivariate ANOVA analysis to compare gender-based difference in mental health status and assessed mental health literacy. Subsequently, we constructed and analyzed a structural equation model in order to better identify causal pathways underlying the gender gap in mental health. Our findings substantiated the existence of a gender gap in mental health status in Chinese society, with women reporting relatively poorer mental health levels, and found factors such as parental status and occupational status are relevant to women's mental health. Regarding mental health literacy, while men and women are similar in identifying mental health problems, women are more likely to incorrectly attribute mental problems to the influence of religious and/or supernatural factors. The study further suggested the poorer mental health status of women can, at least partially, be attributable to the lack of relevant knowledge, as the structural equation model obtained in the study supported the mediation effect of mental health literacy between gender and mental health status. These findings highlight the importance of mental health literacy and mental health education in China, on account of their potentially beneficial effects on women's mental wellbeing.