Impacts of COVID-19 on mental health of students in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has had different public health problems among students. During COVID-19 outbreak, students were distant from scholastic area and social collaboration and affected by different mental health problems. A comprehensive analysis on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of students in Ethiopia is limited. The aim of this study is to explore and summarize the impact of COVID-19 on students’ mental health in Ethiopia.Materials and methodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Cochrane Library, CrossRef, African Journals Online and Google scholar databases were searched from December 2019 to June 2022. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment of study were done by two authors independently. I² statistics was used to assess heterogeneity. A random effect model was used. Stata 16.0 was used for statistical analysis and graphics.ResultsEight studies were incorporated. From 7 studies report, the pooled prevalence of stress was 35% (95% CI 23–48%, I2 = 98.20%, Tau^2 = 0.03, p < 0.001). From 6 studies reported the pooled prevalence of the anxiety was 44% (95% CI 30%-57%, I2 = 97.90%, Tau^2 = 0.03, p < 0.001). From 5 studies reported the pooled prevalence of depression was 44% (95% CI 23%-65%, I2 = 99.10%, Tau^2 = 0.06, p < 0.001). Likewise, the factors of mental illness were summarized.ConclusionCOVID-19 significantly affects mental health of students in Ethiopia. Anxiety, stress and depression were the most reported mental health problems. Timely psychological counseling for students is important to decrease mental health problems during the pandemic situations.