Determinants of Mental Distress among University Students: A Narrative Review of Global, Regional, and Local Perspectives
Abstract
Background
Recently, an upsurge in mental distress among university students has been recorded worldwide. The emergence of COVID-19 has further complicated the mental health and well-being of university students due to frequent lockdowns and disruption of university learning schedules. However, extant literature shows that mental health issues of university students in sub-Saharan African countries including Kenya don’t receive equal attention compared to medical health problems. Locally, there is a paucity of studies on mental health among university students. Thus, more studies are needed to address this gap.
Methods
This was a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published in the last ten years. Literature was mainly searched from the following databases; Scopus, Hindawi, Pubmed, Embase, and PsycINFO. Literature was reviewed from global, regional, and local perspectives, to locate the research problem's magnitude from a wider to a narrower scope. A total of 33 studies were included in the study.
Findings
The prevalence of mental distress among university students is prominently reported globally (outside sub-Saharan Africa) than in sub-Saharan Africa and Kenya. Globally prevalence of mental health distress is relatively above 75%, with some studies reporting prevalence as high as 95% in the recent past. In sub-Saharan Africa, all studies reviewed have reported a prevalence of mental distress relatively below 50%. In Kenya, studies reviewed have shown that the prevalence of mental distress among university students is below 40%. Female gender, substance use, lack of social support, early years of university education, and poor grades in exams have been overwhelmingly cited as the key determinants of mental distress among university students.
Conclusion
Currently, the actual situation of mental distress among university students in Kenya is unknown. This study recommends effective intervention treatment trials to establish which interventions can work best in reducing students’ mental health problems in Kenya. There is a need for student-centred drop-in-centres to provide social support, and counselling, and create extensive mental health awareness among university students. Universities should conduct frequent surveys on mental health problems affecting students and institute remedies as needed.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Ali, S. K., Shah, J., Du, K., Leekha, N., & Talib, Z. (2022). Mental health disorders among post graduate residents in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLOS ONE, 17(4), e0266570. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266570
Alves, J. V. de S., Paula, W. de, Netto, P. R. R., Godman, B., Nascimento, R. C. R. M. do, & Coura-Vital, W. (2021). Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety among university students of health sciences in Brazil: Findings and implications. Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria, 70, 99–107.
Auerbach, R. P., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Cuijpers, P., Demyttenaere, K., Ebert, D. D., Green, J. G., Hasking, P., Murray, E., Nock, M. K., Pinder-Amaker, S., Sampson, N. A., Stein, D. J., Vilagut, G., Zaslavsky, A. M., Kessler, R. C., & WHO WMH-ICS Collaborators. (2018). WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127(7), 623–638.
Bedaso, A., Duko, B., & Yeneabat, T. (2020). Predictors of mental distress among undergraduate health science students of Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa, SNNPR, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study. Annals of General Psychiatry, 19, 6.
Beiter, R., Nash, R., McCrady, M., Rhoades, D., Linscomb, M., Clarahan, M., & Sammut, S. (2015). The prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of college students. Journal of Affective Disorders, 173, 90–96.
Bruffaerts, R., Mortier, P., Kiekens, G., Auerbach, R. P., Cuijpers, P., Demyttenaere, K., Green, J. G., Nock, M. K., & Kessler, R. C. (2018). Mental health problems in college freshmen: Prevalence and academic functioning. Journal of Affective Disorders, 225, 97–103.
Buckley, P. F. (2007). Dual Diagnosis of Substance Abuse and Severe Mental Illness: The Scope of the Problem. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 3(2), 59–62.
Campbell, F., Blank, L., Cantrell, A., Baxter, S., Blackmore, C., Dixon, J., & Goyder, E. (2022). Factors that influence mental health of university and college students in the UK: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1778.
Chen, T., & Lucock, M. (2022). The mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey in the UK. PLOS ONE, 17(1), e0262562.
Dachew, B. A., Bisetegn, T. A., & Gebremariam, R. B. (2015). Prevalence of Mental Distress and Associated Factors among Undergraduate Students of University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Institutional Based Study. PLOS ONE, 10(3), e0119464.
de Waal, M. W. M., Arnold, I. A., Spinhoven, P., Eekhof, J. A. H., & van Hemert, A. M. (2005). The reporting of specific physical symptoms for mental distress in general practice. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 59(2), 89–95.
Dessauvagie, A. S., Dang, H.-M., Nguyen, T. A. T., & Groen, G. (2022). Mental Health of University Students in Southeastern Asia: A Systematic Review. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 34(2–3), 172–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/10105395211055545
Dessie, Y., Ebrahim, J., & Awoke, T. (2013). Mental distress among university students in Ethiopia: A cross sectional survey. The Pan African Medical Journal, 15, 95.
Ebert, D. D., Mortier, P., Kaehlke, F., Bruffaerts, R., Baumeister, H., Auerbach, R. P., Alonso, J., Vilagut, G., Martínez, K. I., Lochner, C., Cuijpers, P., Kuechler, A.-M., Green, J., Hasking, P., Lapsley, C., Sampson, N. A., Kessler, R. C., & WHO World Mental Health-International College Student Initiative collaborators. (2019). Barriers of mental health treatment utilization among first-year college students: First cross-national results from the WHO World Mental Health International College Student Initiative. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 28(2), e1782. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1782
Hersi, L., Tesfay, K., Gesesew, H., Krahl, W., Ereg, D., & Tesfaye, M. (2017). Mental distress and associated factors among undergraduate students at the University of Hargeisa, Somaliland: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 11, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-017-0146-2
Karyotaki, E., Cuijpers, P., Albor, Y., Alonso, J., Auerbach, R. P., Bantjes, J., Bruffaerts, R., Ebert, D. D., Hasking, P., Kiekens, G., Lee, S., McLafferty, M., Mak, A., Mortier, P., Sampson, N. A., Stein, D. J., Vilagut, G., & Kessler, R. C. (2020). Sources of Stress and Their Associations With Mental Disorders Among College Students: Results of the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Initiative. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.
Mahgoub, Y., Daher-Nashif, S., Al-Shebly, R., Wali, H. S., Khan, A., Almarkhi, A., Al-Motawa, M., AlObaidan, G., & Al-Muhannadi, Z. (2022). Prevalence and Determinants of Mental Health Problems and Mental Health Stigma Among Medical Students of Different Nationalities in Qatar. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 13, 969–979.
Marwood, M. R., & Hearn, J. H. (2019). Evaluating mental health literacy in medical students in the United Kingdom. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 14(5), 339–347. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-01-2019-0001
Mboya, I. B., John, B., Kibopile, E. S., Mhando, L., George, J., & Ngocho, J. S. (2020). Factors associated with mental distress among undergraduate students in northern Tanzania. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-2448-1
Mugendi, S. M. (2021). SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES. 112.
Mutinta, G. (2022). Mental distress among university students in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. BMC Psychology, 10(1), 204. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00903-8
Ndegwa, J. (2020). EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING IN TREATING DEPRESSION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A CASE OF SELECTED PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA. 243.
Nieuwoudt, J. E. (2021). Psychological Distress among Students in Enabling Education: An Exploratory Study. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 61(1), 6–25.
Othieno, C. J., Okoth, R. O., Peltzer, K., Pengpid, S., & Malla, L. O. (2014). Depression among university students in Kenya: Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates. Journal of Affective Disorders, 165, 120–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.04.070
Porru, F., Robroek, S. J. W., Bültmann, U., Portoghese, I., Campagna, M., & Burdorf, A. (2021). Mental health among university students: The associations of effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment with psychological distress. Journal of Affective Disorders, 282, 953–961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.183
Sadock, B. J., Sadock, V. A., & MD, D. P. R. (2017). Kaplan and Sadock’s Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry (10th edition). LWW.
Sandanger, I., Nygård, J. F., Sørensen, T., & Moum, T. (2004). Is women’s mental health more susceptible than men’s to the influence of surrounding stress? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 39(3), 177–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-004-0728-6
Schmits, E., Dekeyser, S., Klein, O., Luminet, O., Yzerbyt, V., & Glowacz, F. (2021). Psychological Distress among Students in Higher Education: One Year after the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14), 7445. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147445
Siraji, A., Molla, A., Ayele, W. M., & Kebede, N. (2022). Mental distress and associated factors among college students in Kemisie district, Ethiopia. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21710-6
Smith, L. L., Yan, F., Charles, M., Mohiuddin, K., Tyus, D., Adekeye, O., & Holden, K. B. (2017). Exploring the Link Between Substance Use and Mental Health Status: What Can We Learn from the Self-medication Theory? Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 28(2), 113–131. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2017.0056
Tesfaye Kelemu, R., Bayray Kahsay, A., & Ahmed, K. Y. (2020). Prevalence of Mental Distress and Associated Factors among Samara University Students, Northeast Ethiopia. Depression Research and Treatment, 2020, e7836296.
Tessema, Z. T., Worku, M. G., Tesema, G. A., Alamneh, T. S., Teshale, A. B., Yeshaw, Y., Alem, A. Z., Ayalew, H. G., & Liyew, A. M. (2022). Determinants of accessing healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: A mixed-effect analysis of recent Demographic and Health Surveys from 36 countries. BMJ Open, 12(1), e054397.
Yu, Y., Yan, W., Yu, J., Xu, Y., Wang, D., & Wang, Y. (2022). Prevalence and Associated Factors of Complains on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in University Students: An Extensive Population-Based Survey in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2023 Cyrus Mutie, Isaac William Kyalo, Catherine S.Mutunga Mwenda
© Numid Publishers ISSN: 2518-8631