article · PLoS ONE
A cross-sectional investigation of 760 undergraduate students at Jimma University evaluated the prevalence of common mental disorders and patterns of seeking support. Over half of the surveyed students, specifically 58.4 percent, met the criteria for current common mental disorders. Among these affected individuals, 78.4 percent reported seeking help for their symptoms, but 83.8 percent turned to informal sources rather than professional healthcare services. Statistical analysis revealed that lower life satisfaction significantly reduced the likelihood of seeking assistance compared to having very good life satisfaction. Additionally, having no prior history of seeking help was significantly associated with seeking help for these conditions. The findings demonstrate a high rate of distress alongside a heavy reliance on informal networks rather than established clinical services.
Untreated mental health conditions among university students can lead to prolonged disability and serious complications, including suicide. Demonstrating that the vast majority of affected students depend on informal contacts rather than medical providers clarifies how support is currently sought, highlighting critical gaps in the reach and uptake of formal campus mental health services.
The abstract does not indicate a commercialisation pathway, as it reports observational behavioural findings. However, the data could inform the design of student support programmes or digital mental health screening tools for university administrations. Any practical application remains at an early conceptual stage, dependent on future research into the specific barriers students face when accessing formal healthcare.
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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.
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212657
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