Table 1 Exploratory Factor loadings for the 30 items in the KAMHS (excluding Knowledge-based items)

 If I had a mental disorder, I would not feel ashamed

.69

 If I had a mental disorder, I would not avoid socialising

.41

 I would feel a failure if I had a mental disorder

.73

 If I had a mental disorder, I would feel worthless like I had failed my family

.68

 I would feel weak if I had a mental disorder

.73

 If I had a mental disorder, I would feel I’d let everyone down

.73

 I wouldn’t tell anyone if I had a mental health problem in case they made fun of me

.64

 I am confident that I could ask for help if I had a mental health problem

.59

 For me, it would be easy to ask for help for a mental health problem

.67

 If I had a mental health problem, I would try to hide it from everyone

.71

 If I had a mental health problem, I would be happy to tell my teacher or school counsellor .63

 It’s best not to tell anyone about your mental health problems

.52

 If I had a mental health problem, I would not tell friends and family

.66

 The same things that help our physical health also help our mental health

.70

 Sometimes things that stress you should be faced head-on

.56

 Healthy eating helps you maintain good mental health

.67

 A good night’s sleep is good for your mental health

.59

 Regular exercise has no effect on your mental health

.45

 Talking about your feelings can help with mental health problems

.43

 If my friend had a mental disorder, I would avoid them

.53

 I would not like to be in the same classroom as someone with a mental disorder

.63

 I would feel comfortable sitting next to a person with a mental disorder

.67

 I wouldn’t want to marry or date a person with a mental disorder

.66

 I would be happy for a person with a mental disorder to come to my house

.59

 Mental disorders are caused by people being wicked or bad

.50

 Drinking alcohol never helps when you are stressed^a

 It’s often best to ignore problems and hope they go away

.42

 Taking illegal drugs can never help when you are stressed by something^a

 The best way to cope with problems is not to think about them

.53

 I do my best not to think about my problems

.58