The Relationship between Mental Health Literacy and Adolescent Resilience in Crime Prone Areas in Indonesia

Background and Objectives: Living in areas with high crime rates leads adolescents to experience mental health issues and potentially become involved in criminal activities. Mental health literacy (MHL) involves knowledge about identifying, managing, and seeking help for maintaining mental well-being. Resilience is the ability to adapt and withstand pressures, influenced partly by the environment. This study examines the relationship between mental health literacy and resilience among adolescents  (10-19 years old) residing in crime-prone areas in Indonesia. Materials and Methods: This research employs a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design involving a sample of 365 respondents selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Research instruments, including the MHKQ  for mental health literacy and CD-RISC for resilience, are distributed using paper-based questionnaires. The analysis is conducted using Spearman’s rho. Results: The results showed that respondents’ average MHL and resilience scores were 10.66±2.23 and 84.60±16.12, respectively. The results showed that adolescents exhibit low mental health literacy but high resilience. There was a significant positive correlation between mental health literacy and resilience (P 0.001, r = 0.492) with a moderate correlation. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of mental health literacy in raising awareness and helping adolescents build resilience to withstand negative peer influences. This study can serve as a benchmark and inform efforts to enhance mental health literacy and resilience among adolescents in schools and communities in crime-prone areas.