Barriers and Facilitators to Using Campus-Based Mental Health Services: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of University Students in Astana, Kazakhstan

Background/Objectives: The mental health difficulties of youth in Central Asia are of increasing concern. This exploratory qualitative study explores university students’ accounts of barriers to and facilitators of using campus-based mental health services, their perceptions of accessibility and quality, and their suggestions for service improvement. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 undergraduate students who responded to open invitations and studied at five universities (two private and three public) in Astana, Kazakhstan. Participants fell into three mutually exclusive groups: students who had used campus services (n = 6), students who had attempted to use them but did not receive a service (n = 2), and students who were aware of the services but had never attempted to use them (n = 3). The data were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis with a hybrid deductive–inductive approach. Results: Five themes were developed: personal triggers for seeking help; accessibility and institutional barriers; cultural and societal influences; experiences of service quality; and participants’ suggestions for improvement. Participants described experienced barriers (e.g., appointment delays, restricted opening hours and phone-only booking), perceived barriers (e.g., limited visibility of services and predominantly Russian-language provision) and anticipated barriers (e.g., family stigma and fear of psychiatric registration). Assessments of service quality came primarily from the six service users and centered on transparency about counsellors’ approaches and on session length. Participants suggested increasing service visibility, offering more flexible booking and opening hours, providing information about counsellors’ qualifications and approaches, offering support in more than one language, and reducing stigma through culturally sensitive education. Conclusions: Strengthening campus mental health services requires addressing institutional and sociocultural barriers to help-seeking. These findings are exploratory and specific to the studied context. Therefore, further research across diverse settings is needed to explore the transferability of these findings.