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

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) policy recommendations to strengthen such 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.