YOUNG ADULTS' PRACTICES IN SEEKING ONLINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT

In recent years, young adults have increasingly turned to online resources for psychological support, yet research on this widespread phenomenon remains scarce in Serbia.To address this gap, a quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the characteristics of internet use for accessing Online Psychological Support (OPS) among young adults (N = 379; ages 18-25; 63.2% women, 36.8% men), focusing on reasons to seek support, life domains, online resources, forms, and adverse experiences.Data were gathered through an anonymous online questionnaire via Google Forms and analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests in SPSS 21.The results show that almost half of the respondents (46.2%) use OPS, with women engaging in it more frequently than men.Young adults primarily seek OPS for information on psychological symptoms and ways to cope with them (69.4%), for personal growth in the absence of acute difficulties (42.9%), and for managing immediate psychological issues (40.3%).Major life domains for which OPS is sought include education/work (51.1%), personal growth (48.0%), and intimate relationships (46.6%).Respondents most frequently use search engines (74.5%), podcasts (55.2%), and YouTube (52.4%) for support, while formal online counselling and psychotherapy are rarely used (2.8%).Regarding the forms of OPS used, respondents most commonly engage with informational videos and texts (56.3%) and the practice of sharing experiences (46.5%).Most participants (68.9%) had no adverse experiences with OPS, although some encountered unprofessional or unreliable information.By highlighting current practices and potential challenges, this study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the use of OPS among young adults in Serbia.