University students' help seeking intention for depression from health professionals; a cross sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess University students' intention to seek help for depression from health professional and associated factors among University of Gondar students, Northwest, Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 487 students. Multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants. Self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the data. General help seeking questionnaire with major depressive disorder case vignette was used to assess students' intention to seek help for depression. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Simple and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to identify factors for intention to seek help for depression. Association was described by using adjusted unstandardized ß coefficient along with 95% confidence interval. Finally, P-values < 0.05 in adjusted analysis were taken as a cut off for significant association. RESULTS: The mean score of intention to seek help from health professionals was 3.84 (±0.76)with a range of (1 "very unlikely" to 5 "very likely"). About 67.8% of the study participants would seek help from health professionals if they would have depressive symptoms which was depicted in the case vignette. In the multiple linear regression analyses, student age (unstandardized ß = 0.07, 95% CI: (0.05, 0.10)), good attitude towards seeking professional help (ß = 0.03, 95% CI: (0.02, 0.04)) were factors positively associated with intention to seek help. CONCLUSION: The current study showed that more than three-fifth of the study participants reported they were likely or very likely to seek help for depression from health professionals. Increased age and favorable attitude were factors associated with intention to seek help for depression. Working on awareness creation and attitude change towards depression would be necessary to increase students' intention to seek help for depression from health professional.

Prevalence of perceived stigma and associated factors among primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Mental illness exposes persons to stigma and this stigma also affects family caregivers of persons with mental illness. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of perceived stigma and associated factors among primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design and systematic random sampling technique were used to recruit 408 participants at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College and Yekatit-12 Hospital Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We collected the data by face-to-face interview. Devaluation of Consumer Families Scale was used to measure perceived stigma. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Oslo-3 social support scale were the instruments used to assess the factors. Coded variables were entered into Epidata V.3.1 and exported to SPSS V.21 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used for analysis. RESULT: A total of 408 participants were interviewed, with a response rate of 96.5%. The magnitude of perceived stigma was 38.5% with 95% CI (33.6-43.1). Majority (68.6%) of the respondents were female. In the multivariate logistic regression, being mother (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.59, 4.91), absence of other caregiver (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.15, 3.49), poor social support (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.59, 6.13), and symptoms of depression (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.88, 3.65) were factors significantly associated with perceived stigma. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of perceived stigma among primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness was high. Being mother, absence of other caregiver, poor social support, and symptoms of depression were factors significantly associated with perceived stigma.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Its Associate Factors Relating to Patients with Severe Mental Disorders Attending Psychiatric Follow-Ups in Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Patients with mental disorders have high rates of co-existing alcohol use disorder and vice versa. Alcohol use disorder has emerged as a major challenge to intervene patients with severe mental disorders. It is under-recognized and has not been investigated well in low-income countries like Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associate factors of alcohol use disorder among patients with severe mental disorders attending psychiatric follow-ups at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A total of 384 patients with severe mental disorders selected by a systematic random sampling technique took part in the interviews for this cross-sectional study. The alcohol use disorder identification test was used to assess the problem. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions were computed to examine the associated factors. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used for reporting the result. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcohol use disorder among patients with severe mental disorders was 36.2%. Of the participants, 23.5%, 8.6%, and 4.1% had hazardous, harmful alcohol drinking and alcohol dependency, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, male sex, younger age, psychotic and bipolar disorder diagnoses, having poor social support, moderate and high perceived stress, and current tobacco smoking were factors significantly associated with alcohol use disorder. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of alcohol use disorder among patients with severe mental disorders was found to be high. Early intervention and integrating treatment services for co-existing mental disorders and alcohol use disorder is important. The special treatment, where it is offered for young male patients and those with the diagnosis of psychotic and bipolar disorders, is recommended to promote the uptake of alcohol and mental health treatment services.

Prevalence and correlates of job loss among schizophrenia outpatients at St. AmanuelMental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Job loss in patient with chronic illness like schizophrenia is the most serious public concern in the clinical and socio-economic terms worldwide. Patients with schizophrenia usually have unsatisfactory job termination like quitting or getting fired which results well-established negative outcomes. The complex interplay between one another has made job and mental illness the focus areas. In the developing nations, there is limited study on these areas in spite of higher rates of job loss. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of job loss among schizophrenia outpatient units in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted at Saint Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital among schizophrenia outpatient units in Addis Ababa from May to June 2018. A total of 421 study subjects were interviewed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Perceived devaluation and discrimination scale. Out of the total study participants, female populations were slightly higher (50.4%) and the majorities (38.6%) were orthodox religion followers. Study characteristics was summarized using descriptive statistics and bi-variable and multivariable analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 24. Furthermore, those factors at p value ≤ 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of job loss among patients with schizophrenia was 37.3%. Factors including unmarried [AOR = 2.42:95% CI (1.28, 4.54)], divorced [AOR = 2.34: 95% CI (1.16, 4.71)], severe positive symptoms [AOR = 2.03: 95% CI (1.15, 3.60)], severe general psychopathology [AOR = 1.76: 95% CI (1.01, 3.08)], and poor level of social and occupational functioning [AOR = 5.05: 95% CI (2.81, 9.09)] were significantly associated with job loss among schizophrenia people. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that job loss among schizophrenia outpatients was high. There was significant association among people with unmarried, divorced, severe positive symptoms, poor functionality and higher general psychopathology. Therefore, clinical and psychosocial factors were responsible for job loss which warrant further attention and investigation.

Magnitude of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and its correlation with academic performance among female medical and health science students at University of Gondar, Ethiopia, 2019: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the magnitude of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and associated factors among female students of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia, 2019. DESIGN: Institution-based cross-sectional study design. SETTING: College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: 386 participants were recruited for self-administered interview using the stratified followed by simple random sampling technique. MEASUREMENT: Data were collected by self-administered interview. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) was used to measure PMDD. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Oslo-3 social support are used to assess the factors. The data were checked, cleaned and entered into EpiData V.3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) V.21.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regressions were used. OR with 95% CI was employed to see the strength of associations between dependent and independent variables. Variables with a p value <0.05 in multivariable logistic regression were declared as significantly associated. RESULT: 386 participants were involved in the study, with a response rate of 84.6%. The overall magnitude of PMDD in this study was 34.7% (30.3 to 39.1). Severe menstrual pain (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.82, 95% CI: 1.83 to 4.23), perception of an impact on academic performance due to menstrual pain (AOR=2.31, 95% CI: 1.23 to 4.32), and high perceived stress (AOR=3.52, 95% CI: 2.58 to 5.60) were significantly associated with PMDD disorder among female medical and health sciences students. CONCLUSION: PMDD is high among female medical and health sciences students. Thus, it needs early screening and intervention especially for those who have severe menstrual pain, perceived to have an impact on academic performance and high perceived stress.

Depression and associated factors among primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Mental illnesses among children and adolescents are under-recognized and under-treated problems. Depression is one of today's all-too-silent health crises in caregivers. Although primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness are more frequently depressed, little attention is being given to the problem in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess prevalence of depression and associated factors among primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness in Ethiopia. METHODS: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness in Ethiopia. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit a total of 416 study participants. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to measure depression. After descriptive statistics was conducted, binary logistic regression was employed to carry out bivariate and multivariate analysis. RESULT: The overall prevalence of depression was 57.6% with 95% CI (53, 62.7). The prevalence of depression among female primary caregivers was 64.6% (n = 181). Female sex (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.18,4.89), duration of care > 5 years (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 2.02,8.70), absence of other caregiver (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.41,5.34), being mother (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.90,8.04), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) (AOR = 4.7, 95% CI: 2.06,10.54) and attention deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (AOR = 5.3, 95% CI: 2.14,13.23) diagnosis of children and adolescents and poor social support (AOR = 5.5, 95% CI: 2.04,15.02) were associated with depression. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depression among primary caregivers of children and adolescents with mental illness attending treatment in St. Paul's hospital millennium medical college (SPMMC) and Yekatit-12 hospital medical college (Y12HMC) was high. Therefore, it needs to screen and treat depression in primary caregivers of children and adolescents having follow-up at child and adolescent clinics especially for those primary caregivers who are female, mother, gave care for > five years, have no other caregiver, have children diagnosed with ASD and ADHD and have poor social support.