KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTSIN RELATION OF MENTAL HEALTH:A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

Introduction: Attitudes of students to mental health issues is a neglected area in Kazakhstan due to high
level of stigmatization, cultural traditions and lay beliefs as in some other countries. We did an attempt
to recognize issues related to knowledge, attitude and behavior of students of first year (17-19 years old)
regarding mental health issues on the base of self-administered questionnaire across the country.
Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was the main tool for data collection. The whole questionnaire consists of three main parts: 1) healthy life style; 2) harmful habits (smoking, alcohol and drug use);
3) mental health. Total sample size was 5,000 students from five regions of the country.
Results: One of the main results of this study was relatively high percentage of 17-19 years old students
who understand importance of healthy lifestyle and reported about their readiness to follow it. Only a few
proportion of students consider “good” mental health as a part of healthy lifestyle. Young people mostly
think that physical activity and refusal of bad harmful habits (smoking, alcohol and drug use) are main
components of healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion: The majority of students tend to improve their health. Students reported about their confidence in governmental clinics, specialists and desire to obtain information about health during trainings,
competitions and festivals at university settings.
Key Words: students, students’ mental health, stigmatization, аttitudes and behavior.