The Prevalence and Factors Associated with Mental Distress among College Students in Southern Ethiopia A Cross-Sectional Study
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Although mental health problems affect thegeneral population, students are highly vulnerable to psychologicaldisorders. Mental distress among students is a cause of concern asit may impair their behavior and diminish learning, which couldnegatively affect their academic performance. Therefore, theobjective of this study was to assess the prevalence and the factorsassociated with mental distress among college students in SouthernEthiopia.
METHODS: Institution based cross-sectional study was conductedamong 280 regular students of Hawassa College of HealthSciences. Mental distress was measured using a Self-ReportingQuestionnaire (SRQ-20). The data were entered into Epi-Infoversion 3.5.4 and analyzed using Statistical Package for SocialScience (SPSS) version 20. Multivariable logistic analysis wasperformed following bivariate analysis to adjust for the effect ofconfounders.
RESULT: The prevalence of mental distress among the studysubjects was found to be 59 (22.30%). Female students were 2.08times more likely to have mental distress as compared to malestudents (AOR =2.08 [95% CI: 1.14-3.82]). The odds of mentaldistress among third-year students was 60% lower compared tosecond-year students [AOR = 0.40; 95 % CI, (0.19, 0.87)]. Studentswho were from Amhara ethnic group were 3.37 times more likely tohave mental distress as compared to students from Sidama ethnicgroup [AOR=3.37;95%CI (1.13-10.09)]. Moreover, students whohad Grade Point Average of below 60% were 4.69 times more likelyto be mentally distressed as compared to those students who scoredGrade Point Average of greater or equal to 60% (AOR= 4.69; 95%CI,[ 2.46, 8.96).
CONCLUSION: The finding suggests the importance of providingmental health counseling support for students as part of theteaching and learning process. More research to further explorethe multiple factors influencing students’ mental health conditionshould also be conducted.