Prevalence of depression and anxiety, and attitudes toward seeking help among first-year pharmacy, medical, and nursing students at a Nigerian university

Suicidal ideation and attempts among Nigerian undergraduates: Exploring the relationships with depression, hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness

Objective

The study investigated the prevalence of suicidal behavior and its association with depression, hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness in a sample of undergraduates in Nigeria.

Introduction

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young adults globally. However, information about suicidal ideation, attempts, and relationships with psychiatric factors, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness is sparse in Nigeria. The study investigated the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts and associated factors in a sample of undergraduates in Nigeria.

Methods

We collected data from a cross-sectional survey of 625 undergraduate students primarily recruited from universities, colleges of education, and polytechnics in Adamawa Central Senatorial Zone, Adamawa State, northeast Nigeria. The Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, the 15-item Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, and the 20-item version of the Beck Hopelessness Scale were administered to the participants. We used descriptive statistics and binary and multivariate logistic regressions for data analysis.

Results

A total of 616 students with a mean age of 21.41 ± 4.72 years completed the study. The prevalence of suicidal behavior was 34.9% (215/616). Having a female sex (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 8.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.06, 34.03), depression (AOR = 45.15, 95% CI: 0.95, 5.11), hopelessness (AOR = 20.10, 95% CI: 5.56, 72.41), and perceived burdensomeness (AOR = 89.15, 95% CI: 29.63, 268.30) were associated with suicidal ideation. In addition, being a female (AOR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.83), being a 200-level student (AOR = 3.41, 95% CI = 1.46, 7.96), and being a 300-level student (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.11, 0.74) were associated with suicidal attempt.

Conclusion

The study's findings show that suicidal behaviors (ideations and attempts) are prevalent among undergraduate students in northeast Nigeria. The findings underline the need for the development of mental health services and early identification and intervention for at-risk young people in Nigeria.

Prevalence of alcohol and other psychoactive substance abuse and association with depression among medical students in Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State

Introduction

alcohol and other psychoactive substances have adverse health effects, particularly on young people. This study determined the prevalence of alcohol and other psychoactive substance abuse and its association with depression among Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, medical students.

Methods

a cross-sectional study involving 243 medical students who completed a patient-rated version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-PR). For analyzing the data, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed.

Results

most respondents were 18 to 24 years old (67.1%), and 52.7% were male; the prevalence of major depressive episodes (current) and lifetime alcohol and other psychoactive use was 30.5%, 25.5%, and 21%, respectively. Also, the prevalence of current alcohol abuse and dependence was 5.8% and 4.9%, respectively. Alcohol use (χ2: 12.57, p = 0.001) and abuse (χ2: 22.33, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with depression. Psychoactive substance use was significantly associated with depression (χ2: 12.91, p = 0.001). The odds of having depression increased with the use of alcohol (OR: 3.54; 95% CI: 1.71-7.33) and psychoactive substances (OR: 4.52; 95% CI: 1.88-10.88).

Conclusion

alcohol and psychoactive substance use were significantly associated with depression. Organizing interventions to reduce such unhealthy social practices among medical students is necessary.

Physical activity and depressive symptoms during the fifth wave of COVID-19 pandemic: Implication for public policy and administrators

Depression is a public mental health problem that can progress to suicidal ideation, literature suggests regular physical activity may ameliorate it. The study assessed the link between physical activity and depression symptoms during the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Academic Staff Union (ASU) strike among undergraduates. Four hundred and eighteen undergraduates were recruited and participated in the study. Participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure depression severity. The result on PA showed that about one-third of the participants were inactive, above half were moderately active, while a few achieved high PA levels. Above one-fifth of the participants experienced minimal or no depression while a good percent had mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression. Non-parametric tests between PA total score and depression total score with demographic variables were not significant. Spearman's correlation showed a strong negative relationship between PHQ-9 scores and IPAQ-SF scores. This suggests that a high PA level is associated with lower depression symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ASU strike experiences resulted in increased depression among undergraduates. The university administration needs to formulate an urgent policy to promote PA among undergraduates and provide treatment for the affected students.

Health-related behaviors and symptoms of anxiety and depression in Spanish nursing students: an observational study

Background

Symptoms of anxiety and depression are prevalent among young adults and are a significant public health issue. College students are at a higher risk of experiencing poor mental health than other young people due to several factors, including moving away from home, financial pressures, heavy workload, poor time management skills, competitivity, new processes of socialization and insufficient coping mechanisms, among others. In addition, nursing students' mental and physical health may also be affected by unhealthy lifestyle habits and health-related behaviors.

Aim

To determine the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety, and the association between these symptoms and health-related behaviors, in a population of Spanish student nurses.

Methods

Cross-sectional study on a sample of 339 nursing students. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short form, the Spanish Healthy Eating Index and an "ad hoc" questionnaire for sociodemographic variables. The association between psychological symptoms and health-related behaviors was analyzed through binary logistic regression models.

Results

The prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety was 3.8% and 24.5%, respectively. Negative health-related behaviors were frequent, namely tobacco and alcohol consumption, suboptimal physical activity and diet. Moderate physical activity was associated with a lower probability of experiencing depressive symptoms. Symptoms of anxiety were related to a low level of physical activity, an unhealthy diet and alcohol consumption ≥2 times a week.

Conclusion

Student nurses could benefit from the implementation of both physical and mental health promotion initiatives.

Impact of closed management on gastrointestinal function and mental health of Chinese university students during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The innovative closed management of universities may have influenced the physical and mental health of students during the fourth stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The study aimed to assess the gastrointestinal and mental health status of students in this stage and to explore the possible risk factors and mechanisms to provide a reference for future school responses to similar stressful events.

METHOD

A multicenter, cross-sectional survey was administered to 598 college students from 10 Chinese universities. The study used the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19 S), and the Diagnostic Tendency of Functional Bowel Disease Scale (DT-FBD) to evaluate anxiety, depression, fear of COVID-19 and likelihood of being diagnose diagnosed with functional bowel disease (FBD), respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 516 college students completed the questionnaire. The proportions of students with more severe anxiety, more severe depression, greater fear of COVID-19, and a greater likelihood of being diagnosed with FBD were 49.8%, 57.0%, 49%, and 49%, respectively. These symptoms were significantly and positively correlated with the frequency of irregular sleep and eating (p < 0.05). Students in high-risk areas were more likely to experience anxiety and depression than students in areas with low/medium risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-3.24, p = 0.017; OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.11-4.11, p = 0.022). A high likelihood of being diagnosed with FBD was positively associated with the severity of anxiety and depression symptoms and fear of COVID-19 (all p < 0.001). Moreover, mediation analysis revealed the following pathway in college students: fear of COVID-19 → depression and anxiety → poor diet → likelihood of being diagnosed with FBD.

CONCLUSION

College students generally exhibited higher more severe anxiety and depression symptoms and psychological symptoms with a greater higher propensity likelihood of being to be diagnosed with FBD. Good lifestyle habits, especially adequate sleep and a regular diet, can alleviate these problems. In addition, appropriate psychological intervention is very important.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Mental Health, Lifestyle, and Anxiety in Japanese Nursing Students by Year of College

For students in nursing colleges to develop necessary competencies as health care professionals and prevent post-graduation “reality shock” deterioration in the quality of care they provide, appropriate measures are needed in response to changes that occur as college years progress. In this study, mental health status, lifestyle, and various types of anxiety were investigated in 448 nursing college students during a four-year program in Japan. Students from each year of the program were surveyed with the K10 scale to measure mental health, and the Student Life Questionnaire to assess dietary habits, sleep duration, and exercise. Mean K10 scores for first-year students was 13.1, with 30% having anxiety about college life. Similarly, for second-year students the K10 score was 13.7, and compared to first-year students, rates of meal skipping and sleeping less increased. For third-year students, the K10 score (15.9) was higher than for other groups, as were their percentages of all items. Fourth-year students had a mean K10 score of 14.6, with a higher rate of meal skipping and feeling anxious about the future than other groups. These results suggest the need for support tailored to the characteristics of each year in the bachelor’s program in nursing.