Mercedes Tarasovich is graduating with a Ph.D., in medical sociology. She focused her research on barriers to mental health care for people who have survived suicide attempts. To medical sociology student Mercedes Tarasovich, human beings are a fascinating puzzle. This summer, Tarasovich defended her dissertation, titled "Barriers and Facilitators to Mental Health Care Among Suicide Attempt Survivors." Now she is set to graduate Aug. 9 with a Ph.D., in medical sociology from the University of Alabama BirminghamCollege of Arts and Sciences.

Going back to college: From art to sociology

After 10 years working in the art and design industry, Tarasovich made the bold decision to go back to college as an undergraduate student in an effort to find a more stable career. As a Birmingham resident at the time, UAB was a natural choice for her; but she was unsure which major to pursue.

"UAB has a huge variety of program offerings," she said. "I didn't know what I was going to major in, so I just started going through the list of undergraduate majors offered here and checked off the things that interested me, and I landed at sociology. It looked like something I would enjoy; I particularly liked social psychology - a field I didn't even know existed."

Beginning college as a nontraditional student and an adult learner was not a transition without challenges for Tarasovich, a Connecticut native who lives in Hoover, Alabama. She says going back to school took some adjustment; but as she began to understand how humans shape society and how society shapes them, she felt more comfortable in the classroom. She enjoyed the interactive, discussion-based environment in her classes. Her favorite class was "Mind, Self and Society," a required course for her social psychology concentration.

"The class went over a sociological theory, 'symbolic interactionism,' which is about what makes us 'us,'" she said. "It touches on signs, symbols, language, context, body language, identity and how society shapes them. Everything came full circle when I got to teach that class during graduate school in 2021 and really enjoyed it."

Becoming a social scientist

During an undergraduate class, Christopher Biga, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Sociology, assessed one of Tarasovich's assignments and encouraged her to continue her studies in graduate school. Although Tarasovich did not have any initial plans of staying in school after a bachelor's degree, she chose medical sociology because the program allowed her to tailor her research according to her interests in mental health and stigma. Cindy Cain, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, served as chair for her thesis and dissertation committee, providing support, encouragement and guidance throughout several years of graduate studies.

Tarasovich chose to study suicide attempt survivors, an under-researched population.

"I started the program in 2017. My dissertation research took longer than expected because I picked a hard-to-reach population for my research, and it was a delicate subject," Tarasovich said. The pandemic delayed data collection: Institutional Review Board approvals took some time, and data collection took 16 months. During the last two years of the program, she worked full time while working on her research as well.

Diving deep into research

Tarasovich's doctoral research is a mixed-method study on suicide attempt survivors. It examines how and whether the survivors received help and explores the complex interplay of factors that impact the outcomes of met needs, unmet needs and the gray areas of partially met needs.

"My research does not look at how much a certain factor contributes to a certain outcome," Tarasovich said. "Rather, it looks at numerical data qualitatively to discover what recipes of conditions are associated with certain outcomes."

She found stigma as a contributing factor to getting care after a suicide attempt - which she expected to some degree. However, she found that suicide stigma or mental illness stigma does not work alone. Factors like people's trust in their health care system and providers, their culture, income, and health insurance coverage all work together to determine whether survivors seek help and have their mental health care needs met.

According to Tarasovich, while survivors may seek care, it is not always guaranteed that they will receive care.

"Certain factors can prohibit suicide survivors from getting help, such as inconsistency in care," Tarasovich said. "One negatively perceived experience of care can send people off on a trajectory of not receiving care for years before they come back - if they come back."

Feeling stigmatized by health care providers, including mental health providers, can inadvertently project stigma about suicide, she found.

"Even with trained providers, they may not be trained enough about suicide crises," Tarasovich said.

Practical application of knowledge

The journey through graduate school has polished her scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills, thanks to the comprehensive medical sociology doctoral program, which Tarasovich calls "demanding and very theoretical."

"After going through the program, I have a strong grasp of social psychology and medical sociology, and know how to effectively conduct a study," she said.

Tarasovich took classes outside of her department in the School of Public Health to further understand social determinants of health and how to develop hands-on intervention approaches. That is knowledge Tarasovich uses in her day job as a program discovery and design specialist, developing materials and campaigns to support healthy behaviors for people living with chronic illnesses.

"The materials should not be so early-level that they are patronizing, or so high-level that they are incomprehensible," she said. "You have to meet people where they are, and the public health perspective combined with medical sociology really helps with that."

Tarasovich says this challenging journey through doctoral studies would not have been possible without the support of her partner, Jim; her dog, Bronco; and her sister, Melanie. She also credits her employer for their understanding of her schedule and educational commitments.

"I am not sure I would have finished if I didn't have family and work support, and my cheerleading squad," she said. Tarasovich plans to continue her work in the digital health coaching space.

She advises other students who want to pursue a Ph.D. to find a clear focus and an end goal to make their doctoral journey easier.

"The program comes with a lot of struggles with new concepts, and a sheer amount of reading and writing, so knowing what you want out of it helps keep you centered. Not to say that the end goal might not shift, but having an idea really helps."

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