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Background <p>Mental health issues can adversely affect retention in care and treatment adherence among people living with HIV. However, little is known about the extent to which HIV-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Ukraine integrate mental health support into their routine work, especially amid the ongoing humanitarian challenges.</p> Objectives <p>To assess (1) current practices of mental health service delivery by Ukrainian NGOs involved in HIV prevention, (2) perceptions and attitudes of NGO administrators regarding the need for integrated HIV and mental health services, and (3) develop policy recommendations to strengthen integration.</p> Design <p>This observational, cross-sectional study surveyed NGOs that (a) have been active in HIV prevention over the last 5&#xa0;years and (b) participated in the “Community Action for HIV Control” project.</p> Setting and participants <p>17 eligible NGOs from 14 oblasts of Ukraine were invited; 15 completed the survey (88% response rate). The survey collected data on organisational size, mental health service delivery (including types of services offered and personnel involved), collaboration with external mental health providers, and administrative perspectives on expanding mental health support.</p> Methods <p>Descriptive statistics (frequencies, medians with interquartile ranges) were used to characterise nominal and non-normally distributed variables. Spearman’s rho correlation was employed to explore associations between organisational size, service types, and motivation to expand mental health support.</p> Results <p>Over half of the responding NGOs (53%) reported providing mental health services as a sustainable work element; 60% offered such services primarily through project-based funding. Only 47% screened clients used standardised measures (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7), and 20% had a formal mental health policy. Despite these implementation gaps, most NGOs reported high perceived need (median 5 out of 5) and motivation to improve mental health services. Larger NGOs tended to have more psychologists and training opportunities, yet peer-led mental health interventions remained limited.</p> Limitations <p>Findings may overestimate mental health integration due to selection and nonresponse bias (organisations already engaged in HIV prevention and project-based activities). The small sample size limits generalisability.</p> Conclusions <p>While organisational commitment to integrating mental health into HIV services appears high, substantial barriers (e.g., inadequate screening, limited formal policies) constrain comprehensive adoption. Enhanced training, stable funding, and formalised protocols are needed to strengthen mental health-HIV service integration within Ukrainian NGOs.</p>

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Integration of mental health support in the routine work of community-based NGOs involved in HIV prevention in Ukraine: an observational study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月5日

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  • Vitalii Klymchuk,
  • Olha Petrash,
  • Oleksandra Vynogradova,
  • Viktoriia Gorbunova,
  • Volodymyr Kurpita

摘要

Background

Mental health issues can adversely affect retention in care and treatment adherence among people living with HIV. However, little is known about the extent to which HIV-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Ukraine integrate mental health support into their routine work, especially amid the ongoing humanitarian challenges.

Objectives

To assess (1) current practices of mental health service delivery by Ukrainian NGOs involved in HIV prevention, (2) perceptions and attitudes of NGO administrators regarding the need for integrated HIV and mental health services, and (3) develop policy recommendations to strengthen integration.

Design

This observational, cross-sectional study surveyed NGOs that (a) have been active in HIV prevention over the last 5 years and (b) participated in the “Community Action for HIV Control” project.

Setting and participants

17 eligible NGOs from 14 oblasts of Ukraine were invited; 15 completed the survey (88% response rate). The survey collected data on organisational size, mental health service delivery (including types of services offered and personnel involved), collaboration with external mental health providers, and administrative perspectives on expanding mental health support.

Methods

Descriptive statistics (frequencies, medians with interquartile ranges) were used to characterise nominal and non-normally distributed variables. Spearman’s rho correlation was employed to explore associations between organisational size, service types, and motivation to expand mental health support.

Results

Over half of the responding NGOs (53%) reported providing mental health services as a sustainable work element; 60% offered such services primarily through project-based funding. Only 47% screened clients used standardised measures (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7), and 20% had a formal mental health policy. Despite these implementation gaps, most NGOs reported high perceived need (median 5 out of 5) and motivation to improve mental health services. Larger NGOs tended to have more psychologists and training opportunities, yet peer-led mental health interventions remained limited.

Limitations

Findings may overestimate mental health integration due to selection and nonresponse bias (organisations already engaged in HIV prevention and project-based activities). The small sample size limits generalisability.

Conclusions

While organisational commitment to integrating mental health into HIV services appears high, substantial barriers (e.g., inadequate screening, limited formal policies) constrain comprehensive adoption. Enhanced training, stable funding, and formalised protocols are needed to strengthen mental health-HIV service integration within Ukrainian NGOs.