Hospital Practices and Research

Design and Psychometric Validation of a Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire for Conscript Soldiers: A Step Toward Strengthening Psychological Well-being in the Military

Articles in Press

Authors

Erfan Soleimani-Sefat 1
Akram Parandeh 2
Abolfazl Babaie 3
Fatemeh Rahmati 4

1 Student Research Committee, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Nursing Care Research Center, Clinical Sciences Institute, Nursing Faculty, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Student Research Committee, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Health Research Center, Lifestyle Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

10.30491/hpr.2026.256789
Abstract
The mental health of military personnel is particularly important due to the stressful nature of military service and the specific conditions of the military environment. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate a mental health literacy questionnaire for Iranian conscripts. This study was conducted in three stages, including design based on a literature review, content and formal evaluation by experts, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with reliability testing on 251 soldiers. The results showed that the final questionnaire, with 31 items in four domains (knowledge of diagnosing mental disorders, attitudes toward mental disorders, knowledge of the causes of mental disorders, and knowledge of activities and resources for promoting mental health), has good psychometric properties. This tool can be used as a basis for screening, educational interventions, and policymaking in the field of military mental health.

Keywords

Mental Disorders
Psychometrics
Health Literacy
Mental Health Literacy
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Hospital Practices and Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 November 2026

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