Mental health literacy (MHL) refers to lay people’s knowledge and beliefs about the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. The current study aimed at investigating MHL regarding personality disorders (PDs) multiculturally, comparing Turkish and Italian populations. In total, 262 participants responded to an online vignette identification task that required them to label the PDs of seven hypothetical subjects and rate various dimensions of their disorders. Narcissistic (25%), obsessive-compulsive (13%), and paranoid (12%) PDs were the most correctly labeled, while the average accuracy values for other PDs were below 0.04%. Compared to Turkish participants, Italian participants were more accurate in labeling narcissistic PD. Additionally, of the seven PDs, narcissistic PD was associated with the most happiness and success at work. Subjects with borderline and avoidant PDs were the most recognized as having psychological problems (>90%), yet their PDs were among the least correctly identified. Overall, participants from both cultures were generally successful at recognizing the presence of a mental illness, but they rarely labeled it correctly. Only limited cultural differences emerged. The present findings may inform the design of outreach programs to promote MHL regarding PDs, thereby facilitating early recognition of PDs and help-seeking behaviors for affected individuals.

Perceived loneliness is associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes. Using data from the EU Loneliness Survey, we conducted a path analysis to examine direct and indirect associations between key structural and psychological antecedents of loneliness, and whether these associations differ across European regions. We explored the relationships among sociodemographic factors, health perception, multiple dimensions of social connection, and loneliness. We also tested whether these associations were moderated by macro-level contextual differences, comparing four European regions (Northern, Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe). Results indicated that face-to-face connection, digital connection, and perceived social support were protective against loneliness, whereas social media use was associated with higher loneliness. The effects of sociodemographic characteristics on loneliness were mediated primarily by perceived social support and, to a lesser extent, by health perception, with smaller but significant indirect pathways through face-to-face and digital connections. The effect of digital connection varied by region: it significantly reduced loneliness in Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe, but not in Northern Europe. Social media use was associated with higher loneliness in all regions, with the highest levels in Northern Europe. Overall, these findings suggest that while some protective resources are universal, the benefits of social connection and the risks of social media use vary depending on regional contexts.