# Mental health and empowerment of university students: mediating role of mental health awareness

## TL;DR

This study shows how mental health awareness and empowerment, along with parental behavior, can improve university students' mental health.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is identifying mental health awareness as a key mediator linking empowerment and parental behavior to improved mental health in students.

## Key findings

- Mental health awareness strongly influences mental health (β = 0.595, p < 0.001).
- Self-management and self-esteem significantly improve mental health through awareness (β = 0.620 and β = 0.212, respectively).
- Parental behavior is a significant factor in mental health outcomes (β = 0.193, p < 0.001).

## Abstract

The Present study explores students’ mental health and empowerment, focusing on the mediating role of mental health awareness. Methods: Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the research investigates how parental education, parental behavior, self-esteem, self-management, and social media impact mental health through mental health awareness. Data from 350 university students were collected through an online survey. Results: Our findings reveal that mental health awareness significantly influences mental health (β = 0.595, p < 0.001). Empowerment, particularly self-esteem (β = 0.212, p = 0.003) and self-management (β = 0.620, p < 0.001), plays a vital role in improving mental health through increased awareness. Parental behavior also emerged as a significant factor (β = 0.193, p < 0.001). However, the influence of parents’ education and financial issues showed less significant effects. Conclusion: The study concludes that mental health awareness is central to improving mental health outcomes, while empowerment and parental behaviors are vital mediating factors. These findings contribute to the understanding of how youth mental health can be enhanced through both internal (empowerment) and external (parental influence) factors.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-025-03726-5.