Help-seeking behavior of Jimma university students with common mental disorders: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Globally, the mental health help-seeking behavior of university students is reported to be poor; less than one-third of university students with common mental disorders (CMDs) report having sought help from formal sources. Failure to seek treatment is associated with prolonged disability and poor mental health outcomes, including suicide. In Ethiopia, little is known about the help-seeking behavior of university students for CMDs. Objective This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of help seeking, and sources of help sought by Jimma University undergraduate students with CMDs. Method Seven hundred and sixty students were selected to participate in this cross-sectional study using multi-stage sampling. Sources of help were identified using the Actual Help-Seeking Questionnaire. CMDs were assessed using the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Binary logistic regression analysis was used for both univariate and multivariable analysis. Results Of the sampled students, 58.4% were found to have current CMDs. Of those with current CMDs, 78.4% had sought help for their problems. The majority (83.8%) of participants who sought help did so from informal sources. Compared to students who had ‘very good’ overall levels of satisfaction with life, those who had ‘good’, ‘fair’, and ‘poor or very poor’ overall level of satisfaction with life were less likely to seek help (p-value = 0.021, 0.014, and 0.011, respectively). Lastly, having no previous history of help-seeking was significantly associated with seeking help for CMDs (p-value<0.001). Conclusion More than half of Jimma University students were found to have a high risk of CMDs and the majority of those with CMDs sought help from informal sources. Future studies are needed to explore the barriers of seeking help from formal resources, and the effects of not receiving help from formal sources for CMDs symptoms.

Mental distress, perceived need and barriers to receive professional mental health care among university students

“…The current finding is lower than what was reported in previous studies in Ethiopian universities [45,60]. The first possible justification for the difference might be data collection instrument being used to screen mental distress [45,60]. The second possible reason for the difference could be data collection time in which exam was approaching [60].…”

“…The other explanation for the difference might be resulted from not using locally validated instrument [59]. The current finding is lower than what was reported in previous studies in Ethiopian universities [45,60]. The first possible justification for the difference might be data collection instrument being used to screen mental distress [45,60].…”

“…On the other hand, there are protective factors from mental distress among these students that include: having high social support, having an interest in the field of study, having good religious practice, having a sound relationship with roommates, being male, free from substance use, and having enough pocket money [43]. The majority of undergraduate students with mental distress do not seek formal mental health care, rather they receive treatment from informal sources such as family, friends, relatives, herbalists, and religious leaders [45].…”

Mental distress, perceived need and barriers to receive professional mental health care among university students

“…Previous studies reported various reasons for not receiving formal health service by undergraduate university students with mental distress [36,39,40]. For instance, a study which was conducted in St.…”

“…Catherine University, US, reported the main reasons for not using university counseling center were receiving help from friends or family, preference for self-management, considering their problems as not serious enough, and thinking the problem would get better by itself [39]. In addition, commonly reported barriers to receive mental health service were lack of perceived need, being unaware of the existence of such services, fear of stigma, concerns about privacy, lack of time, skepticism about treatment effectiveness, socioeconomic problem [36], denial and not wanting to be labeled as "crazy" [40].…”