Preservice teachers’ positive mental health literacy is associated with openness to psychological help-seeking and well-being

Objectives: Most studies on teachers’ mental health literacy focused on their knowledge of mental disorders and it s relationship to students’ mental health. However, research on teachers’ positive mental health literacy (PMHL) and its relatio nship to teachers’ well-being remains limited. Moreover, few studies have investigated teachers’ own help-seeking. This study addressed these gaps by examining a model of the relationship between PMHL and well-being with openness to psychological h elp-seeking as a potential mediator among Filipino preservice teachers.Methods: To investigate the relationships among PMHL, openness to psychological help-seeking, and well-being, a survey was conducted with a sample of preservice teachers from t wo universities in the Philippines (N = 470). The data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) including a test of indirect effects.Results: Results of the SEM revealed that PMHL was associated with well-being through openness to psych ological help-seeking. The findings held after controlling for school type, age, and sex, providing support for the robustness of th e model.Discussion: This suggests that preservice teachers who are knowledgeable on factors that promote mental health are more open to seeking psychological help when needed and have better well-being. The implications of these findings are discus sed.