Background Mental health disorders are a major public health concern especially among undergraduates, globally and within Egypt. Most individuals suffering from mental illnesses either do not seek care at all or seek it only after a large delay. It is therefore critical to identify the barriers that prevent them from seeking professional help to solve the problem from its roots. Thus, the objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of psychological distress, the need for professional mental health care, and the barriers to seeking available services among undergraduate students in Egypt. Methods A proportionate allocation technique was used to recruit 3240 undergraduates from 21 universities. Symptoms of psychological distress were evaluated using the Arabic General Health Questionnaire (AGHQ-28) and a score of above nine was used to identify positive cases. The pattern for utilization of mental health care was assessed using a multi-choice question and barriers to mental health care were assessed using the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE- 30) tool. Logistic regression was adopted to identify the predictors of psychological distress and seeking professional health care. Results The prevalence of psychological distress was 64.7% and the need for professional mental health care was 90.3% of those with psychological distress. The top barrier to receiving professional mental health services was wanting to solve the problem on their own. Logistic regression revealed that female sex, living away from family and positive family history of mental disorders were independent predictors of psychological distress. Students from urban backgrounds were more likely to seek help than students from rural ones. While age above 20 and positive family history of mental disorders were independent predictors for seeking professional help. There is no significant difference between medical and non-medical students in terms of psychological distress. Conclusion The findings of the study showed there is a high prevalence of psychological distress and a lot of instrumental and attitudinal related barriers to seeking mental health care and highlighted the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of university students.

Background Although the number of new HIV infections is declining in most regions of the world, the Middle East is one of the regions with a rapidly growing HIV epidemic, with Egypt having the fastest-growing epidemic, with a 76 percent increase in the number of cases. One of the major factors contributing to this trend is the general public’s lack of knowledge about the disease. The HIV Knowledge Questionnaire-18 (HIV-KQ-18) is one of the most widely used instruments for assessing HIV/AIDS knowledge and has been translated into several languages. This study examined the validity of the Arabic version of the HIV-18-KQ as well as its adaptation among Arab undergraduates. Methods The HIV-18-KQ was both forward and back-translated. The translation was reviewed by an expert committee of eight experts. The final version was created and distributed to undergraduates from five Arabic countries: Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Jordan, and Algeria. The validity of the Arabic version of the HIV-18-KQ was evaluated using internal consistency and construct validity. Internal consistency was tested using the Kuder-Richardson formula 20 (KR-20), and construct validity was evaluated using an exploratory factor analysis with a polychoric correlation matrix. Results The majority of the translated items were easy to understand. The Arabic HIV-18-KQ was deemed culturally appropriate by the expert committee. This study included 1745 university students, including 956 (54.5%) males and 798 (45.5%) females, with 33.4% from Egypt. Based on the acceleration factor approach to interpreting the scree plot in the factor analysis, it was preferable to use only one factor, which is consistent with the original version of HIV-45-KQ. The KR-20 value was 0.73, indicating good internal reliability. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the Arabic version of the HIV-18-KQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing HIV-related knowledge in Arabic-speaking countries.

Background The prevalence of mental health problems among medical students has been steadily rising. It is greater than the prevalence of mental health problems among other students, negatively impacting students, and their future careers. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of the self-reported need for mental health care, the pattern of utilization of mental health services, and the different barriers that hinder medical students from seeking professional help. Results This study was conducted among medical students at Mansoura University, using a structured self-reported online questionnaire to collect the need for mental health services, sociodemographic details, the pattern of utilization of mental health services, and the barriers using a Likert scale of 30 items named Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation Version 3. According to this study, 77.77% felt the need for mental health care. The independent predictors for feeling the need for mental health care were female sex and urban residence with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.7 and 1.9, respectively. Regarding mental healthcare needs, most of the barriers were instrumental and attitudinal related. Lack of information about how to access services and solve the problem by themselves was the most common barriers followed by time and financial affords. Conclusions It appears that Mansoura medical students are at higher risk of feeling the need for mental care. Considerable barriers to help-seeking remain prevalent, including both logistical (e.g., time) and informational (e.g., lack of knowledge about the available services).

Background Substance use disorder is a growing problem worldwide, and the stigma associated with it remains a significant barrier to treatment and recovery. This study aimed to assess the perceived stigma among individuals with substance use disorders and its correlation with their socio-demographic characteristics and clinical history Parameters. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 552 patients with substance use disorders admitted to the outpatient clinics of Mansoura University Hospital, Addiction Treatment Unit of the Psychiatry Department, and Port Said Mental Hospital, Addiction Department. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, which included demographic information, clinical history parameters, and the Perceived Stigma of Substance Abuse Scale (PSAS). Results The study found that almost half of the participants were aged 29 or younger, married, and had a median stigma score of 20. The vast majority of participants were male, had no previous legal problems, and had a median stigma score of 19. The most common type of substance used was opioids, and more than half of the participants were still using drugs. The highest mean stigma scores were for the items “Most people think less of a person who has been in treatment for substance use” and “Most employers will pass over the application of someone who has been treated for substance use in favor of another applicant.“ The perceived stigma score was significantly correlated with the severity of use but not with age or duration of use. Conclusion Our study investigates self-stigma in substance use disorder (SUD), revealing its variance across demographics and clinical groups. We found that self-stigma correlates with use severity and possibly decreases with abstinence. Notably, societal bias contributes significantly to self-stigma, necessitating societal interventions. The impact of self-stigma on patient well-being highlights the need for personalized treatments and stigma reduction strategies.