Background. Chronic stress among medical students affects academic performance of students and leads to depression, substance use, and suicide. There is, however, a shortage of such research evidence in Ethiopia. Objective. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and severity of stress and its association with substance use and academic performance among medical students. Methods. A crosssectional survey was conducted on a sample of 329 medical students at Jimma University. Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Medical Students Stress Questionnaire (MSSQ-20), and Drug Abuse Surveillance Test (DAST). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Logistic regression analysis and Student's -test were applied. Results. The mean age of the respondents was 23.02 (SD = 2.074) years. The current prevalence of stress was 52.4%. Academic related stressor domain was the main source of stress among 281 (88.6%) students. Stress was significantly associated with khat chewing [AOR = 3.03, 95% CI (1.17, 7.85)], smoking [AOR = 4.55, 95% CI (1.05, 19.77)], and alcohol intake [AOR = 1.93, 95% CI (1.03, 3.60)]. The prevalence of stress was high during the initial three years of study. Stress was significantly ( = 0.001) but negatively ( = −0.273) correlated with academic achievement. Conclusion. Stress was a significant problem among medical students and had a negative impact on their academic performance. Year of study, income, and substance use were associated with stress. Counseling and awareness creation are recommended.

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BackgroundInformation on adherence of adult psychiatric patients to biological modes of treatment is scarce in Ethiopia. Knowledge on adherence is essential in terms of future prognosis, quality of life and functionality of such patients. This study was conducted to assess the magnitude and associated factors of non-adherence to medication.MethodsA hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2011 at the psychiatry facility of Jimma University Specialized Hospital, which provides service to more than 10 mill people. A sample of 422 adults with psychiatric illness in the follow-up outpatients was selected consecutively. Data was collected using a pre-tested questionnaire by face-to-face interview and from patient medical records. The four-item Morisky scale was used to assess degree of medication adherence. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 and descriptive, chi-square test and logistic regression statistical methods were used. P-Value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant in the final model.ResultsOut of the 422 patients, 40.3% were females and 59.7% males. The prevalence rate for non-adherence was 41.2%, non-affective psychoses diagnosis contributing the highest rate (44.5%). From the total non-adherent respondents, 78.2% attributed their non-adherence to forgetting. Irregular follow-up, poor social support and complex drug regimen were independently associated variables with non-adherence.ConclusionsThe result of the study showed that non-adherence among psychiatric patients in Southwest Ethiopia is high and revealed possible associated factors. Adherence needs integrated efforts in creating a mechanism in enhancing regular follow-up, informal social support system and ongoing awareness creation among professionals.

Background. Depression is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease and affects 350 million people worldwide. Substance use could be the risk factor for depression. Objective. We aim to determine the prevalence and severity of depression and its association with substance use. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 650 respondents in Jimma town in March 2014. A multistage stratified sampling method was conducted. Structured questionnaire and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II) scale were used for data collection. Data analysis was done using the SPSS Version 20.0 for Windows. Results. The participation rate of respondents was 590/650 (90.77%). The proportion of females was 300 (50.9%). The current prevalence of depression was 171 (29.0%). Based on the BDI-II grading of the severity of depression, 102 (59.6%) had mild, 56 (32.7%) had moderate, 13 (7.6%) had severe depression. In the present study, age of 55 years and above [OR = 5.94, CI: 2.26–15.58], being widowed [OR = 5.18, CI: 1.18–22.76], illiterates [OR = 9.06, CI: 2.96–27.75], khat chewing [OR = 10.07, CI: 5.57–18.25], cigarette smoking [OR = 3.15, CI: 1.51–6.58], and shisha usage [OR = 3.04, CI: 1.01–9.19] were significantly and independently associated with depression. Conclusion. The finding depicted that depression was a moderate public health problem. Advanced age, being widowed, illiterate, khat chewing, and cigarette and shisha smocking could be the potential risk factors for depression. Risk reduction is recommended.

Background Suicidal ideation (SI) among pregnant women is a major public health concern worldwide and is associated with a higher risk of completed suicide. However, there are limited studies that determined the prevalence and the potential determinants of suicidal ideation in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the prevalence of suicidal ideation and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Jimma, Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 pregnant women attending Jimma medical center in Southwest, Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Suicidal ideation assessed using the Suicidality Module of the World Mental Health survey initiative version of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Other tools used are EPDS, Abuse Assessment Scale (AAS), DASS -21, PSS, Maternity Social Support Scale (MSSS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to explore the potential determinants of suicidal ideation among the participants. Result The prevalence of SI among women who are on antenatal care was found to be 13.3% (95% CI (10.1,16.4). In multivariable analysis, marital status with lack of cohabiting partners (AOR = 2.80,95%CI:1.23,6.37), history of abortion (AOR = 2.45,95% CI:1.03,5.93), having depression (AOR = 4.28,95% CI:1.75,10.44),anxiety(AOR = 2.99,95% CI:1.24,7.20), poor sleep quality (AOR = 2.85,95% CI:1.19,6.79), stress (AOR = 2.50, 95% CI:1.01,5.67), and intimate partner violence (AOR = 2.43, 95% CI:1.07,5.47) were found to be significant predictors of suicidal ideation. Conclusion The prevalence of SI among pregnant women was found to be huge. Lack of cohabiting partners, previous history of abortion, depression, anxiety, intimate partner violence, poor sleep quality, and stress were variables that are independent predictors of suicidal ideation. Screening and interventions of antenatal SI are needed.

Various infectious agents, such as Toxoplasma gondii, have been hypothesized to be potentially relevant etiological factors in the onset of some cases of schizophrenia. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment trial in an attempt to explore the hypothesis that the symptoms of schizophrenia may be related to infection of the central nervous system with toxoplasma gondii. Systematically selected patients with ongoing and at least moderately severe schizophrenia from Butajira, in rural Ethiopia, were randomly allocated to trimethoprim or placebo, which were added on to participants' regular antipsychotic treatments. Trial treatments were given for 6 months. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess outcome. Ninety-one patients were included in the study, with 80 cases (87.9%) positive for T. gondii immunoglobulin G antibody. Seventy-nine subjects (87.0%) completed the trial. The mean age of subjects was 35.3 (SD = 8.0) years, with a mean duration of illness of 13.2 (SD = 6.7) years. Both treatment groups showed significant reduction in the overall PANSS score with no significant between-group difference. In this sample of patients with chronic schizophrenia, trimethoprim used as adjuvant treatment is not superior to placebo. However, it is not possible to draw firm conclusion regarding the etiological role of toxoplasmosis on schizophrenia based on this study because the timing and the postulated mechanisms through which toxoplasmosis produces schizophrenia are variable.

In this study, depression was found to be highly prevalent. Early recognition and treatment of depression through routine screening and assessment of PWE should become an essential part of diagnosis and treatment protocol.

Background: Depression is a common health problem among university students. It is debilitating and has a detrimental impact on students psychosocial, emotional, interpersonal functioning and academic performance, However, there is a scarcity of information on this regard in higher education institutions in Ethiopia, so the current study was conducted to assess the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among Jimma University students. Methods: An institution-based quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 556 sampled students selected by a multistage stratified sampling technique. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) was used to screen depression severity. Data was collected through a pretested, structured, and self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were checked manually for completeness and entered into Epidata manager Version 2.0.8.56 data entry software then exported to SPSS version 20 Statistical software for analysis. The obtained data were described using descriptive statistics as well as logistic regression analysis was done to determine the independent predictors of the outcome variable. First bivariate analysis was done and variables significant at p value ≤ 0.25 were entered into a multivariate logistic regression analysis to control for confounders. The significance of association was determined at a 95% confidence interval and p-value < 0.05. Result: The prevalence of depression among the students was 28.2%. Having a mentally ill family member (OR = 2.307, 95%CI 1.055-5.049), being from the college of Social science and humanity (OR = 2.582, 95%CI 1.332-5.008), having sex after drinking (OR = 3.722, 95%CI 1.818-7.619), being hit by sexual partner (OR = 3.132, 95%CI 1.561-6.283), having childhood emotional abuse (OR = 2.167, 95%CI 1.169-4.017), having monthly pocket money between 500-999 ETB (OR = 0.450, 95% CI 0.204-0.995), and promoted academic performance (OR = 2.912, 95% CI 1.063-7.975) were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among Jimma University students was high and positively associated with being from the college of social science and humanity, history of a hit by a sexual partner, having a mentally ill family member, having more monthly pocket money, promoted academic performance, having sex after drinking and childhood emotional abuse. Therefore, establishing depression screening services on the campus and designing proper mental health intervention programs is recommended to tackle the problem.