IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSAL MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING IN CHERNIVTSI OBLAST: COVERAGE DY NAMICS AND CHANGES IN AWARENESS OF PROFESSIONAL INTERACTION

Abstract

In wartime conditions, the prevalence of mental health disorders among the population is 22,1%, meaning that in Ukraine, every fifth citizen will have or already has mental disorders. Integrating mental health knowledge into the professional practice of frontline specialists creates an additional level of support that functions parallel to the traditional healthcare system. This is particularly important for population groups who, for various reasons, avoid seeking psychiatric or psychological services due to stigmatization, cultural barriers, or lack of awareness. The study aimed to evaluate the implementation of universal mental health training (UMHT) in Chernivtsi Oblast and its impact on frontline specialists’ awareness of interactions with people with mental disorders. Methodology. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 430 participants – frontline specialists who attended 2-day UMHT training sessions (12 hours) in Chernivtsi Oblast during 2023-2025. An anonymous online questionnaire served as the research instrument. McNemar’s test was used for statistical analysis of the obtained results, comparing the distributions of respondents’ answers before and after the training. The difference between samples was considered statistically significant at p<0,05. Results. After conducting the 12-hour training for frontline specialists in Chernivtsi Oblast, there was a significant increase in the proportion of respondents with affirmative answers to questions about their workplace interactions with people with mental disorders or crisis conditions (from 75,6% to 84,9%, p<0,001), a decrease in the proportion of uncertain responses (from 12,1% to 5,6%, p<0,0001), and negative responses (from 12,3% to 9,5%, p=0,0005). Conclusions. The obtained results indicate that after completing UMHT, frontline specialists showed an increased level of awareness of their interactions with people with mental disorders and crisis conditions.