Common mental disorders and associated factors among high school students in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia: an institutional-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundCommon mental disorders include anxiety, depression and somatic symptoms. These pose significant public health problems because of their serious effects on personal well-being, social and occupational functions. They also can affect the health and quality of life of people in adolescence, because this age group has been vulnerable to different factors. According to the American Psychiatry Association, more than 60% of adolescents fulfil the criteria for at least one common mental disorder. Despite the high burden of the disorders, there are limited studies in Ethiopia; therefore, this study provided the prevalence of common mental disorders among students in Ethiopia.MethodsFrom 5 May to 30 May 2021, an institutional-based cross-sectional study was undertaken. Simple random sampling was used to select study participants from each class level across all high schools. A self-administered survey was used that included Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20, Oslo Social Support Scale-3 and other semistructured instruments for the screening of common mental disorders. Data were checked, coded and entered into Epi-Data V.4.6.0, then exported to SPSS V.20 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with common mental disorders. Adjusted ORs with 95% CIs were calculated and variables with a p value of <0.05 were considered as significantly associated with common mental disorders.ResultsA total of 600 high school students were recruited with a response rate of 93.2%. The overall prevalence of common mental disorders among the participants was 181 (32.4%). Being female (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.93; 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.99), a family history of mental illness (AOR=2.23; 95% CI: 1.15 to 4.35), poor social support (AOR=3.14; 95% CI: 1.51 to 6.54), a history of non-physical sexual abuse (AOR=2.09; 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.62) and a history of physical sexual abuse (AOR=2.43; 95% CI: 1.29 to 4.59) were significantly associated with common mental disorders.Conclusion and recommendationThe prevalence of common mental disorders was 32.4% among students; therefore, it is recommended facilitating institutional-based intervention services in the school to decrease the contributing factors for the common mental disorders.

Trastornos mentales comunes en estudiantes de una institución de formación inicial docente

“…Por otro lado, normalmente, además de sus responsabilidades académicas, asumen tareas adicionales en hogar, como la responsabilidad familiar, el cuidado de sus hijos y otras actividades domésticas (23). Esto coincide con lo reportado por diversos estudios, donde se determinaron que la probabilidad de desarrollar mayores niveles de TMC estaba asociado al género femenino, ya que ellas tienen una baja tolerancia al estrés y una alta carga de trabajo doméstico en comparación con los varones (2,5,(7)(8)(9)(10).…”

“…Los TMC se refieren a una variedad de trastornos físicos, mentales y sociales que describen trastornos como la depresión, la ansiedad y las manifestaciones somáticas (4). Se caracterizan por la presencia de síntomas como insomnio, fatiga, irritabilidad, olvido, dificultad para concentrarse y molestias somáticas que pueden tener efectos a largo plazo (5). Los TMC no tratados pueden conducir a enfermedades físicas comórbidas que se observan comúnmente en los entornos de atención primaria de salud.…”

“…En lo que respecta a las variables sociodemográficas asociadas a la prevalencia de los TMC, se determinó que las principales eran el género femenino (2,5,7-10), el nivel de consumo de bebidas alcohólicas (1,8,9), los antecedentes de familiares con enfermedades mentales (5,11,12) y el apoyo emocional (5,8).…”

Mental healthcare services satisfaction and its associated factors among patients with mental disorders on follow-up in the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

“…Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were applied. Variables with a p -value of less than 0.2 at the bivariable analysis were entered into a multivariable logistic regression analysis ( 27 ). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) and a p -value of less than 0.05 has been used to determine statistically significant associated factors.…”

Trastornos Mentales Comunes y Cansancio Emocional en Estudiantes Universitarios: Un Estudio Correlacional

“…Entre los síntomas más frecuentes se encuentran el insomnio, la fatiga, la irritabilidad, el olvido, la dificultad para concentrarse y las molestias somáticas, que pueden tener efectos a largo plazo (Melkam et al, 2022). Cuando no se tratan de manera oportuna, los trastornos mentales comunes pueden desencadenar enfermedades físicas comórbidas que son observadas en los entornos de atención primaria de salud.…”