Prevalence of Mental Disorders in Uganda: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Opio, John Nelson; Munn, Zachary; Aromataris, Edoardo

doi:10.1007/s11126-021-09941-8

Cited by 26 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Depression among children and adolescents has also been studied more than studies of male adults. The prevalence of depression among children and adolescents (23.6%) was higher than 20.2% among children in Uganda for papers published between 2010 and 2018 [ 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence of depression in Uganda: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Kaggwa

Najjuka²,

Bongomin³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Background Depression is one of the most studied mental health disorders, with varying prevalence rates reported across study populations in Uganda. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to determine the pooled prevalence of depression and the prevalence of depression across different study populations in the country. Methods Papers for the review were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, African Journal OnLine, and Google Scholar databases. All included papers were observational studies regarding depression prevalence in Uganda, published before September 2021. The Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist for Prevalence Studies was used to evaluate the risk of bias and quality of the included papers, and depression pooled prevalence was determined using a random-effects meta-analysis. Results A total of 127 studies comprising 123,859 individuals were identified. Most studies were conducted among individuals living with HIV (n = 43; 33.9%), and the most frequently used instrument for assessing depression was the Depression sub-section of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (n = 34). The pooled prevalence of depression was 30.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 26.7–34.1, I2 = 99.80, p<0.001). The prevalence of depression was higher during the COVID-19 pandemic than during the pre-pandemic period (48.1% vs. 29.3%, p = 0.021). Refugees had the highest prevalence of depression (67.6%; eight studies), followed by war victims (36.0%; 12 studies), individuals living with HIV (28.2%; 43 studies), postpartum or pregnant mothers (26.9%; seven studies), university students (26.9%; four studies), children and adolescents (23.6%; 10 studies), and caregivers of patients (18.5%; six studies). Limitation Significantly high levels of heterogeneity among the studies included. Conclusion Almost one in three individuals in Uganda has depression, with the refugee population being disproportionately affected. Targeted models for depression screening and management across various populations across the country are recommended. Trial registration Protocol registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022310122).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the high burden of depression and a large amount of literature concerning mental health in Uganda, various systematic reviews have been conducted, especially among individuals living with HIV [ 12 , 15 , 38 ]. However, a comprehensive systematic synthesis of all published literature on depression in Uganda is lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of depression in Uganda: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Kaggwa

Najjuka²,

Bongomin³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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“…We thank our esteemed colleagues for welcoming our proposal to initiate and spearhead the development of the Ontology of Phenomenological Psychopathology (OPheP). 1 Rosa Ritunnano and colleagues rightly point out that for the OPheP initiative to maximise its potential, it must avoid the hard-learned pitfalls of the kind of standardised clinical protocol sought by Larsen and colleagues could rather generate an (implicitly) inflexible attitude by forcing living phenomena to fit the designed taxonomy, thus recreating the totalising and hegemonic errors of the DSM. We think that a brief word of caution is in order here about the need for an open, pluralistic, and flexible approach.…”

Section: Authors' Replymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health care in Uganda

Kaggwa

Harms²,

Mamun³

2022

The Lancet Psychiatry

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“…To date, there have been no countrywide epidemiological studies on the prevalence of mental health disorders in Uganda, 3 , 4 and there is inadequate data on hospital utilisation. 5 However, a recent systematic review has found that 24% of the population are affected by depression and anxiety, demonstrating they are common mental disorders affecting roughly 1 in 4 people 4 ; the authors suggest that their study likely underestimates prevalence. 4 Overall, the WHO estimates that there are 2.2 million people affected by mental health problems in Uganda, with only 9% of them able to access care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 However, a recent systematic review has found that 24% of the population are affected by depression and anxiety, demonstrating they are common mental disorders affecting roughly 1 in 4 people 4 ; the authors suggest that their study likely underestimates prevalence. 4 Overall, the WHO estimates that there are 2.2 million people affected by mental health problems in Uganda, with only 9% of them able to access care. 5 The WHO has also observed that most low-income countries spend the majority of mental health budgets on psychiatric hospitals, which serve only a small proportion of those who need care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Qualitative study of mental health attribution, perceptions and care-seeking in Kampala, Uganda

Bwanika

Hawkins

Kamulegeya³

et al. 2022

South African Journal of Psychiatry

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Background: Mental health problems contribute to a substantial proportion of the global burden of disease. In Uganda, the World Health Organization estimates that 2.2 million people are affected by mental health disorders. Further research is needed to highlight people’s views about mental health in order to ensure that services are appropriate, accessible and effective.Aim: This qualitative study aimed to explore perceptions, experiences and care-seeking preferences to inform stakeholders looking to provide contextually appropriate mental health programmes.Setting: A diverse neighbourhood in central Kampala, Uganda.Methods: The authors conducted 56 in-depth semi-structured interviews with people over the age of 37 years from November 2018 to May 2019.Results: Participants discussed interpersonal and systemic issues that affect mental health in their community and the existing coping mechanisms that people employ. Social factors were often associated with mental health problems, with 36% of participants attributing them to economic stressors in particular. Mental health services were often perceived to be unavailable, costly or stigmatised, which can mean that care-seeking is delayed until problems become severe. Some people said they prefer to turn to prayer (25%) or counselling within their family or community (12.5%).Conclusion: Mental health problems are often attributed to socioeconomic factors, which can also hinder access to services. An understanding of perceptions about mental health can help to align programmes for appropriateness and effectiveness. Our study suggests that beneficial additional services for people living in low-income urban settings in Uganda could include those which are free, community-based or offering financial support.

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Prevalence of Mental Disorders in Uganda: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cited by 26 publications

References 76 publications

Prevalence of depression in Uganda: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Prevalence of depression in Uganda: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mental health care in Uganda

Qualitative study of mental health attribution, perceptions and care-seeking in Kampala, Uganda

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