Abstract
BackgroundMental health problems affect society as a whole and no group is immune to mental disorders; however, students have significantly high level of mental distress than their community peers.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of mental distress among undergraduate students of University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsInstitution based cross sectional study was conducted among 836 students from April 9–11/2014. Stratified multistage sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with mental distress among students. An adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was computed to determine the level of significance.ResultsPrevalence of mental distress among students was found to be 40.9%. Female sex (AOR = 1.65; 95% CI 1.17–2.30), lack of interest towards their field of study (AOR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.49–3.50), not having close friends (AOR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.03–2.14), never attend religious programs (AOR = 1.58; 95% CI 1.02–2.46), conflict with friends (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI 1.41–2.65), having financial distress (AOR1.49 = 95% CI 1.05, 2.10), family history of mental illness (AOR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.31–3.45), Ever use of Khat (AOR = 1.71; 95% CI 1.12–2.59), lower grade than anticipated(AOR = 2.07; 95% CI 1.51–2.83), lack of vacation or break (AOR = 1.46; 95% CI 1.06–2.02), and low social support(AOR = 2.58; 95% CI 1.58–4.22) were significantly associated with mental distress.ConclusionThe overall prevalence of mental distress among students was found to be high. Therefore, it is recommended that mental distress needs due attention and remedial action from policy makers, college officials, non-governmental organizations, parents, students and other concerned bodies.
Highlights
Mental distress is a mental health problem which includes anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms such as sleep problems, headache and backache[1,2,3]Currently mental distress is an important public health problem and it is a leading cause of disability worldwide, accounting for one third of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) [4, 5]
Mental health problems affect society as a whole and no group is immune to mental disorders; students have significantly high level of mental distress than their community peers
It is recommended that mental distress needs due attention and remedial action from policy makers, college officials, non-governmental organizations, parents, students and other concerned bodies
Summary
Mental distress is a mental health problem which includes anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms such as sleep problems, headache and backache[1,2,3]Currently mental distress is an important public health problem and it is a leading cause of disability worldwide, accounting for one third of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) [4, 5]. Mental health problems affect society as a whole and no group is immune to mental disorders; students have significantly high level of psychological distress than their community peers [8,9,10]. This is due to the fact that university students face multiple stressors such as academic load, constant pressure to succeed, competition with peers, financial burden, peer, teacher or parental pressure as well as concerns about the future [11, 12]. Mental health problems affect society as a whole and no group is immune to mental disorders; students have significantly high level of mental distress than their community peers
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