The level of MHL among Polish family nurses varied across subscales, with the most knowledge gaps being in the understanding of risk factors and the etiology of mental diseases, and younger age, urban residence, having a family member or acquaintance with a mental disorder, and professional interaction with individuals with mental disorders were independently associated with higher total MHL scores.
Key Findings
Results
The median normalized total score for the Mental Health Literacy Scale among Polish family nurses was 70.43%.
207 family nurses participated in the cross-sectional study conducted from February to May 2026.
The study utilized the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) method with regionally stratified sampling of primary health care facilities.
The Polish version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS-PL) was used as the primary measurement instrument.
The overall median normalized score of 70.43% indicates a moderate level of mental health literacy across the sample.
Results
The Knowledge of risk factors and causes and Knowledge of professional help available subscales had the lowest normalized scores among all MHLS-PL subscales.
Both the Knowledge of risk factors and causes and Knowledge of professional help available subscales had normalized scores of 66.67% each.
These were the lowest-scoring subscales, indicating the greatest knowledge gaps in these specific domains.
The Recognition of disorders and Knowledge of how to seek mental health information subscales had the highest normalized scores at 75% each.
This pattern suggests that while nurses can recognize mental disorders, their understanding of etiology and available professional resources is comparatively weaker.
Results
Younger age was independently associated with higher total MHLS-PL scores among family nurses.
Age was identified as one of four factors independently associated with total MHLS-PL score.
The negative relationship between age and MHL suggests that older, more experienced nurses may have lower mental health literacy scores.
This finding was identified through multivariate analysis controlling for other sociodemographic and occupational variables.
The authors identified experienced nurses as a potential target group for future educational interventions based on this finding.
Results
Urban residence was independently associated with higher total mental health literacy scores compared to rural residence.
Urban residence was one of four factors independently associated with total MHLS-PL score.
The study authors specifically identified nurses in rural areas as a priority target group for future educational interventions.
This finding suggests a geographic disparity in mental health literacy among Polish family nurses.
The result was derived from multivariate analysis of the cross-sectional dataset of 207 family nurses.
Results
Having a family member or acquaintance with a mental disorder was independently associated with higher total MHL scores.
Personal social exposure to mental illness was one of four independently associated factors with total MHLS-PL score.
This factor was identified through multivariate regression analysis.
The finding suggests that personal experience with mental illness in one's social network may improve mental health literacy in nursing professionals.
Personal mental health diagnosis was additionally identified as a significant correlate for specific knowledge and attitude dimensions in subscale analyses.
Results
Professional interaction with individuals with mental disorders was independently associated with higher total MHL scores.
Professional contact with mentally ill patients was one of four factors independently associated with the total MHLS-PL score.
This finding was identified through multivariate analysis alongside age, urban residence, and having a family member or acquaintance with a mental disorder.
The result implies that clinical exposure to mental health conditions may enhance nurses' mental health literacy.
The authors note that further research is needed to evaluate how MHL translates into clinical practice.
Results
Educational level, shorter length of service, and personal mental health diagnosis were significant correlates for specific MHL subscale dimensions.
These three additional factors were identified through analyses of individual subscales rather than the total MHLS-PL score.
Having a master's degree or higher educational level was associated with better performance on specific knowledge and attitude dimensions.
Shorter length of service was associated with higher scores on specific subscales, consistent with the negative relationship observed between age/experience and overall MHL.
Personal mental health diagnosis was a significant correlate for specific knowledge and attitude dimensions.
Discussion
The negative relationship between length of service and MHL identifies experienced nurses and rural nurses as potential priority targets for educational interventions.
The study found that both older age and longer length of service were negatively related to MHL scores.
The authors concluded that experienced nurses and those in rural areas represent target groups for future educational interventions.
The study provides initial insights to inform planning of educational interventions and health policies.
The authors noted that further research is needed to evaluate intervention effectiveness and address organizational and system-level factors influencing translation of MHL into clinical practice.
What This Means
This research suggests that family nurses in Poland have a moderate level of mental health literacy (MHL), scoring a median of about 70% on a standardized scale. However, nurses showed notably weaker knowledge in two specific areas: understanding what causes mental health disorders and knowing what professional help is available for patients. They performed better at recognizing mental disorders and knowing where to find mental health information. These gaps are significant because family nurses are often the first healthcare professionals that patients encounter, making their ability to identify and respond to mental health conditions particularly important.
This research suggests that certain groups of nurses are more likely to have lower mental health literacy. Specifically, older nurses, those with longer careers, and those working in rural areas scored lower on the MHL scale. On the other hand, nurses who had personal or professional contact with people experiencing mental health conditions — whether through their social network or in their clinical work — tended to score higher. Higher educational attainment (master's degree or above) was also linked to better performance on specific parts of the scale. These patterns point to experienced nurses working in rural settings as a priority group for targeted mental health education and training programs.
This research suggests that Poland's primary healthcare system could benefit from structured mental health education programs aimed especially at experienced and rural-based family nurses. Bridging these knowledge gaps could improve early detection and management of mental health conditions in primary care settings, which is critical given that over a billion people worldwide live with mental health disorders. The authors caution that while improving knowledge is important, future research should also examine how mental health literacy actually influences nursing practice, and what organizational or system-level factors support or hinder nurses from applying this knowledge in their day-to-day work.
Pietrzak M, Mierzejewska A, Tomaszewska M, Han G, Ślusarska B, Nowicki G. (2026). Mental health literacy among family nurses in Poland: a cross-sectional study.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1942327