Assessment tools for mental health literacy among adults in China based on COSMIN criteria:a systematic review

XU Rongjing; WANG Yan; WANG Anni; HAN Shuyu; JIA Shoumei

doi:10.12102/j.issn.1009-6493.2025.13.012

Abstract：Objective:To evaluate the assessment tools for mental health literacy among adults in China,and provide reference for the selection and development of high-quality assessment tools for mental health literacy.Methods:A computer-based systematic search was conducted in CNKI,Wanfang Data,VIP,China Biology Medicine(SinoMed),PubMed,Web of Science,EMbase,and CINAHL for literatures related to the measurement properties of mental health literacy.The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the databases to August 24,2023.Two researchers independently screened the literatures,summarized the information,and evaluated the included literatures using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments(COSMIN).Finally,the recommendation grades and opinions were formed.Results:A total of 11 papers were included,involving 11 assessment tools for mental health literacy.Among them,the content validity was not reported in 2 papers,the hypothesis testing of construct validity was not reported in 5 papers,the stability was not reported in 6 papers,the criterion validity was not reported in 9 papers,the measurement error and responsiveness were not reported in all studies,and the cross-cultural validity was reported in only 1 paper.There was a certain risk of bias in all included studies,and the recommendation opinions were all Class B recommendations.Conclusions:The questionnaire on mental health literacy of chinese adults and the questionnaire on mental health literacy of residents can be tentatively recommended.In the future,guided by COSMIN,high-quality assessment tools for mental health literacy suitable for the Chinese population can be continuously improved or developed.Attention should be paid to the reporting norms,laying the foundation for researchers to select and apply appropriate tools to accurately measure the mental health literacy level of the target population.