Changes in Mental Health Knowledge and Help-Seeking Attitudes Following Video-Assisted Education Among First-Year B.Sc. Nursing Students: A Pre-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Mental health literacy can influence how young adults recognize psychological difficulties, interpret mental health information, and decide whether to seek assistance. Nursing students warrant particular attention because they are simultaneously learners, future health professionals, and potential sources of support for patients.

Objective: To examine changes in mental health knowledge and attitudes toward help-seeking after a video-assisted educational session among first-year B.Sc. Nursing students.

Methods: A pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test study was undertaken with 100 first-year B.Sc. Nursing students at Sharda School of Nursing Science and Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida. Participants completed a structured demographic form, a 20-item mental health knowledge questionnaire, and a 9-item seven-point semantic differential scale for help-seeking attitude. The instruments underwent expert review, and the reported reliability coefficient was 0.87. A 15-minute Hinglish educational video, followed by 15 minutes of discussion, addressed mental health concepts, common problems, warning signs, misconceptions, stigma, available professional support, and appropriate help-seeking. The same measures were repeated seven days later. Descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, and Pearson chi-square tests were used.

Results: Mean knowledge increased from 17.23 ± 3.79 before the session to 17.91 ± 2.73 after it, a mean difference of 0.68 points; this change was not statistically significant (t = 1.55, df = 99, p = 0.124). Mean help-seeking attitude increased from 47.01 ± 12.02 to 49.08 ± 9.52, a 2.07-point increase that was also not statistically significant (t = 1.79, df = 99, p = 0.077). Post-test knowledge was associated with family type (χ² = 20.070, df = 6, p = 0.003) and monthly family income (χ² = 14.336, df = 6, p = 0.026). No examined demographic factor was significantly related to post-test help-seeking attitude.

Conclusion: The intervention was accompanied by small improvements in both measured outcomes, but the available pre-test–post-test evidence was insufficient to demonstrate a statistically significant effect. A controlled design with repeated sessions and longer follow-up would provide a stronger test of whether video-based education can produce durable changes in mental health literacy and help-seeking attitudes.