en <span style=font-size:11pt><span style=line-height:normal><span style=unicode-bidi:embed><span style=font-family:Calibri,sans-serif><b><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif><span style=color:#4f81bd>Aims:</span></span></span></b> <span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>Mental health literacy encompasses a range of knowledge and beliefs that facilitate the recognition, management, and support of both personal and community mental health. Limited mental health literacy can contribute to delayed identification of psychological issues, heightened social stigma, diminished quality of life, and an increased risk of suicide. Enhancing this literacy is achievable through broad educational initiatives, stigma reduction efforts, and improved access to credible resources. This study explored the impact of peer education on the enhancement of mental health literacy among female dormitory students. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style=font-size:11pt><span style=line-height:normal><span style=unicode-bidi:embed><span style=font-family:Calibri,sans-serif><b><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif><span style=color:#4f81bd>Materials & Methods:</span></span></span></b> <span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>This interventional study was conducted among 80 female students residing in dormitories at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Participants were randomly assigned to the control (n=40) and the intervention (n=40) groups. Five students actively involved in mental health advocacy were trained as peer educators through three structured sessions. These educators subsequently provided instructional content to the intervention group over a one-month period. Data collection was carried out using a standardized demographic form and the Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire. Statistical analyses, including Chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and ANCOVA, were performed using SPSS 22 software. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style=font-size:11pt><span style=line-height:normal><span style=unicode-bidi:embed><span style=font-family:Calibri,sans-serif><b><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif><span style=color:#4f81bd>Findings:</span></span></span></b> <span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>Following the peer education intervention, significant improvements were recorded across multiple subscales, including awareness, misconceptions, first aid skills and help-seeking, self-help strategies, and overall mental health literacy (p<0.05). </span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style=font-size:11pt><span style=line-height:normal><span style=unicode-bidi:embed><span style=font-family:Calibri,sans-serif><b><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif><span style=color:#4f81bd>Conclusion:</span></span></span></b> <span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>Peer education </span></span><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>significantly improve the </span></span><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>mental health literacy </span></span><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>of young female students</span></span><span style=font-size:10.0pt><span style=font-family:Cambria,serif>.</span></span></span></span></span></span> Educational Early Intervention,Peer Group,Health Promotion, 463 469 http://hehp.modares.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-87033-2&slc_lang=en&sid=4