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Attitudes Toward Health-Seeking Behaviors of College Students in Ukraine

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Abstract

This study elicited multiple perspectives on attitudes towards help-seeking behaviors associated with mental health problems of college students in Ukraine. It employed a sequential mixed method design. First, focus groups were conducted with students and psychologists. These data were analyzed and used to develop a survey. The survey was subsequently administered to psychiatrists, the primary providers of services to people with psychiatric problems in Ukraine. Findings from the focus groups revealed four help-seeking behaviors: 1) friends and partners, (2) alcohol use, (3) family support, and (4) conventional and alternative mental health services. Students and psychiatrists differed in their beliefs about help-seeking behaviors. Although psychiatrists believed students sought help from mental health and/or addictions professionals, students reported using self-medication and social network support. Implications include a troubling gap in perceptions between the students impacted and the professional communities that should be serving them.

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Acknowledgments

This study has been supported by the University of Michigan Center for Global Health.

Conflict of Interest

None of the co-authors have a conflict of interest to report in the conduct of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work and Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Viktor Burlaka

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Iuliia Churakova

  3. College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Olivia A. Aavik

  4. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Karen M. Staller

  5. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Jorge Delva

Authors
  1. Viktor Burlaka
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  2. Iuliia Churakova
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  3. Olivia A. Aavik
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  4. Karen M. Staller
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  5. Jorge Delva
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Correspondence to Viktor Burlaka.

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Burlaka, V., Churakova, I., Aavik, O.A. et al. Attitudes Toward Health-Seeking Behaviors of College Students in Ukraine. Int J Ment Health Addiction 12, 549–560 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-014-9483-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-014-9483-4

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