Context: There is limited evidence on the extent of the perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of mental distress services among university students in low and middle-income countries. Objective: The current study was designed to assess the prevalence of mental distress, perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of the service for regular undergraduate university students. Methods: A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 1135 regular undergraduate university students. Symptoms of mental distress were evaluated using the Self-Reported Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and a score of eight and above was used to identify positive cases. The perceived need for professional mental health care was assessed using one question with binary responses, whereas barriers to mental health care were assessed using Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE-30) tool. The association of demographic variables with total mean scores of BACE-III sub-scales was modeled using multiple linear regression. Results: The prevalence of mental distress symptoms was 34.6% and the perceived need for professional mental health care was 70.5%. The top five barriers to receiving professional mental health service were (a) thinking the problem would get better by itself, (b) being unsure where to go to get professional care, (c) wanting to solve the problem by own, (d) denying mental health problem, and (e) preferring to get alternative forms of mental care. Conclusions: The high prevalence of mental distress, mental health care gap, and the report of barriers to professional mental health care among Ethiopian regular undergraduate students is a call for action.

Background: Socio-culturally determined processes account for how individuals give meanings to health, illness, causal attributions, expectations from treatment, and related outcomes. There is limited evidence of explanatory models for mental distress among higher education institutions in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to explore the explanatory models for mental distress among Wolaita Sodo University. Methods: The current study used a phenomenological research approach, and we collected data from 21 students. The participants were purposively recruited based on eligibility criteria. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from December 2017 to January 2018 using the Short Explanatory Models Interview. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed into the Amharic language and translated into English. Data were analyzed using framework analysis with the assistance of open code software 4.02. Results: Most students experienced symptoms of being anxious, fatigue, headaches and feelings of hopelessness. They labeled these symptoms like anxiety or stress. The most commonly reported causal explanations were psychosocial factors. Students perceived that their anxiety or stress was severe that mainly affected their mind, which in turn impacted their interactions with others, academic result, emotions and motivation to study. Almost all the students received care from informal sources, although they wanted to receive care from mental health professionals. They managed their mental distress using positive as well as negative coping strategies. Conclusion:The policy implication of our findings is that mental health interventions in higher education institutions in Ethiopia should take into account the explanatory models of students' psychological distress.

Context: There is limited evidence on the extent of the perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of mental distress services among university students in low and middle-income countries. Objective: The current study was designed to assess the prevalence of mental distress, perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of the service for regular undergraduate university students. Methods: A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 1135 regular undergraduate university students. Symptoms of mental distress were evaluated using the Self-Reported Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and a score of eight and above was used to identify positive cases. The perceived need for professional mental health care was assessed using one question with binary responses, whereas barriers to mental health care were assessed using Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE-30) tool. The association of demographic variables with total mean scores of BACE-III sub-scales was modeled using multiple linear regression. Results: The prevalence of mental distress symptoms was 34.6% and the perceived need for professional mental health care was 70.5%. The top five barriers to receiving professional mental health service were (a) thinking the problem would get better by itself, (b) being unsure where to go to get professional care, (c) wanting to solve the problem by own, (d) denying mental health problem, and (e) preferring to get alternative forms of mental care. Conclusions: The high prevalence of mental distress, mental health care gap, and the report of barriers to professional mental health care among Ethiopian regular undergraduate students is a call for action. Keywords: Mental distress, Perceived need, Barrier, and Professional mental health care.

Context: There is limited evidence on the extent of the perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of mental distress services among university students in low and middle-income countries. Objective: The current study was designed to assess the prevalence of mental distress, perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of the service for regular undergraduate university students. Methods: A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 1135 regular undergraduate university students. Symptoms of mental distress were evaluated using the Self-Reported Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and a score of eight and above was used to identify positive cases. The perceived need for professional mental health care was assessed using one question with binary responses, whereas barriers to mental health care were assessed using Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE-30) tool. The association of demographic variables with total mean scores of BACE-III sub-scales was modeled using multiple linear regression. Results: The prevalence of mental distress symptoms was 34.6% and the perceived need for professional mental health care was 70.5%. The top five barriers to receiving professional mental health service were (a) thinking the problem would get better by itself, (b) being unsure where to go to get professional care, (c) wanting to solve the problem by own, (d) denying mental health problem, and (e) preferring to get alternative forms of mental care. Conclusions: The high prevalence of mental distress, mental health care gap, and the report of barriers to professional mental health care among Ethiopian regular undergraduate students is a call for action. Keywords: Mental distress, Perceived need, Barrier, and Professional mental health care.

Context: There is limited evidence on the extent of the perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of mental distress services among university students in low and middle-income countries. Objective: The current study was designed to assess the prevalence of mental distress, perceived need for professional mental health care and barriers to the delivery of the service for regular undergraduate university students. Methods: A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 1135 regular undergraduate university students. Symptoms of mental distress were evaluated using the Self-Reported Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and a score of eight and above was used to identify positive cases. The perceived need for professional mental health care was assessed using one question with binary responses, whereas barriers to mental health care were assessed using Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE-30) tool. The association of demographic variables with total mean scores of BACE-III sub-scales was modeled using multiple linear regression. Results: The prevalence of mental distress symptoms was 34.6% and the perceived need for professional mental health care was 70.5%. The top five barriers to receiving professional mental health service were (a) thinking the problem would get better by itself, (b) being unsure where to go to get professional care, (c) wanting to solve the problem by own, (d) denying mental health problem, and (e) preferring to get alternative forms of mental care. Conclusions: The high prevalence of mental distress, mental health care gap, and the report of barriers to professional mental health care among Ethiopian regular undergraduate students is a call for action. Keywords: Mental distress, Perceived need, Barrier, and Professional mental health care.