Nantaayi Brandy, Ndawula Rodney Kato, Musoke Phillip, Ssewante Nelson, Nakyagaba Lourita, Wamala Joyce Nakiganda, Makai Emmanuel Arthur, Wannyana Babrah, Wamala Nicholas Kisaakye, Kanyike Andrew Marvin, Akech Gabriel Madut, Ojilong Daniel, Agira Drake, Nakimuli Ann Barbra, Asiimwe Asaph, Bongomin Felix
School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
School of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University Western, Bushenyi, Uganda.
Front Psychiatry. 2022 Jun 2;13:792217. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.792217. eCollection 2022.
Lockdown is an important public health approach aimed at curbing the raging effect of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed at determining the impact of prolonged lockdown on mental health and access to mental health services among undergraduate students in Uganda.
An online cross-sectional study was conducted anonymously among undergraduates across 10 universities in Uganda. The Distress Questionnaire-5 (DQ-5) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) were used. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine factors associated with psychological distress.
We enrolled 366 participants with a mean age of 24.5 ± 4.6 years. The prevalence of psychological distress was 40.2% ( = 147) (cut off 14/25 based on DQ-5) while depression stood at 25.7% ( = 94; cut off 3/6 based on PHQ-2) with mean scores of 12.1 ± 4.6 and 1.7 ± 1.6 respectively. Female gender (aOR: 1.6, 95%CI: 1.0-2.6, = 0.032), pursuing a non-medical program (aOR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.3-3.7, = 0.005) were factors associated with psychological distress while non-medical program (aOR: 2.2, 95%CI: 1.3-3.7, = 0.005) was associated with increased depression. Access to mental health services was associated with both reduced distress (aOR: 0.5, 95%CI: 0.3-0.8, = 0.005) and depression (aOR: 0.6, 95%CI: 0.3-0.9, = 0.034). A majority (65.3%) of the participants reported knowing how to access mental health care and 188 (51.4%) reported having needed emotional support but, only 67 (18.3%) ever sought care from a mental health professional. Of those who had access, only 10 (7%), and 13 (9%) accessed a counselor or a mental health unit, respectively. The barriers to accessibility of mental health care included financial limitations (49.5%), lack of awareness (32.5%), lack of mental health professionals (28.4%), and stigma (13.9%).
Among university students in Uganda during the COVID- 19 lockdown, the burden of psychological distress and depression was substantial. However, access to mental health services was limited by several factors.
封锁是一项重要的公共卫生措施，旨在遏制2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的肆虐影响。本研究旨在确定长期封锁对乌干达大学生心理健康及获得心理健康服务的影响。
在乌干达10所大学的本科生中开展了一项匿名在线横断面研究。使用了痛苦问卷-5（DQ-5）和患者健康问卷-2（PHQ-2）。进行逻辑回归分析以确定与心理困扰相关的因素。
我们纳入了366名参与者，平均年龄为24.5±4.6岁。心理困扰的患病率为40.2%（n = 147）（基于DQ-5，临界值为14/25），而抑郁症患病率为25.7%（n = 94；基于PHQ-2，临界值为3/6），平均得分分别为12.1±4.6和1.7±1.6。女性（调整后比值比：1.6，95%置信区间：1.0 - 2.6，P = 0.032）、攻读非医学专业（调整后比值比：2.2，95%置信区间：1.3 - 3.7，P = 0.005）是与心理困扰相关的因素，而攻读非医学专业（调整后比值比：2.2，95%置信区间：1.3 - 3.7，P = 0.005）与抑郁症增加相关。获得心理健康服务与困扰减轻（调整后比值比：0.5，95%置信区间：0.3 - 0.8，P = 0.005）和抑郁症减轻（调整后比值比：0.6，95%置信区间：0.3 - 0.9，P = 0.034）均相关。大多数（65.3%）参与者表示知道如何获得心理保健服务，188名（51.4%）参与者表示需要情感支持，但只有67名（18.3%）曾向心理健康专业人员寻求帮助。在那些能够获得服务 的人中，只有10名（7%）和13名（9%）分别咨询过顾问或前往过心理健康科室。获得心理健康服务的障碍包括经济限制（49.5%）、缺乏认识（32.5%）、缺乏心理健康专业人员（28.4%）和耻辱感（13.9%）。
在COVID-19封锁期间的乌干达大学生中，心理困扰和抑郁症的负担很重。然而，获得心理健康服务受到多种因素的限制。
