Mental health literacy in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a cross-sectional registry-based study

Inge Kirchberger; Simone Fischer; Philip Raake; Jakob Linseisen; Christine Meisinger; Timo Schmitz

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1444381

Mental health literacy in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a cross-sectional registry-based study

Front Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 13:15:1444381. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1444381. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Inge Kirchberger¹, Simone Fischer¹, Philip Raake², Jakob Linseisen^{1

3}, Christine Meisinger¹, Timo Schmitz¹

Affiliations

¹ Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
² Department of Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine and Intensive Care, University Hospital Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
³ Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology - IBE, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to explore mental health literacy (MHL) and its related factors in a cross-sectional, registry-based sample of patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: All survivors of AMI between 2017 and 2019 from the Myocardial Infarction Registry Augsburg (n=1.712) received a postal questionnaire on MHL (Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS-GER)) and single questions on experiences with and information on mental disorders in 2023. The response rate was 49.9%. Logistic and linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between these variables and sociodemographic factors.

Results: In the sample of 855 patients (77.5% male, mean age 71.4 ± 10.9 years), 30.0% had experienced mental problems about 5 years after AMI. Among these, 17.4% received psychotherapy and 26.1% psychotropic drugs. Information about possible mental problems after their AMI was obtained from a physician by 30.8% of the patients and in a rehabilitation setting by 46.4%, respectively. Of the patients, 26.2% wished to receive more information on mental problems after AMI. MHLS-GER subscale scores ranged between and 54 ("Social distance") and 76 ("Information seeking") (best score 100). Age was the most important factor that was significantly associated with the report of mental health problems, a perceived lack of information, help seeking behavior and treatment, and MHL.

Discussion: Elderly and poorly educated patients were at risk of poor MHL. Further studies are required to specify the role of MHL in post-AMI life and health care.

Keywords: depression feldfunktion geändert; education; help seeking behavior; mental health literacy; myocardial infarction.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research received support from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, and the University Hospital of Augsburg, Germany. Since the year 2000, the collection of AMI data has been co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Health to provide population-based AMI morbidity data for the official German Health Report (see http://www.gbe-bund.de).