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. 2022 Nov 3:13:978510.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.978510. eCollection 2022.

Perceived stress and associated factors among university students in Ethiopia during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Wudneh Simegn  1 , Lamrot Yohannes  2 , Abdulwase Mohammed Seid  3 , Asmamaw Emagn Kasahun  4 , Faisel Dula Sema  3 , Adane Flatie  5 , Asrat Elias  5 , Henok Dagne  2
Affiliations

Perceived stress and associated factors among university students in Ethiopia during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Wudneh Simegn et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: During extensive outbreaks of infectious diseases, people who are impacted, particularly the subgroups of the community who are at an increased risk of mental health problems, may experience increased stress and mental health difficulties. University students are one such susceptible population and are prone to experiencing high levels of stress as compared with the general population. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing perceived stress and identifying its associated factors among university students in Ethiopia during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students in Ethiopia from 30 May to 30 June 2021. Students were asked to fill out an online survey on Google Forms that included consent, sociodemographic information, the UCLA-8 Loneliness Scale, the standard validated stress scale (PSS-10) questionnaire, and the three-item Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3) to assess social support. The collected data were exported to SPSS 26. Descriptive and analytical statistics were carried out. Binary and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to find associated factors, and variables with a p-value of 0.05 were considered statistically significant variables.

Results: A total of 426 university students were included in the survey, among whom 268 (62.9%) were male participants. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 37 years. Health-related departments accounted for 37.1% of the participants, while non-health-related departments accounted for 62.9%. The prevalence of stress was 18.3% in the study population. In this study, extreme susceptibility to COVID-19, sleeping problems, poor self-efficacy to prevent COVID-19, and loneliness were significantly associated with perceived stress.

Conclusion: Stress was prevalent among university students in Ethiopia during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Extreme susceptibility to COVID-19, sleeping problems, poor self-efficacy, and loneliness were identified as factors for stress. Therefore, we suggest that universities should provide opportunities for safe social connection, counseling, and guidance for students.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ethiopia; associated factors; perceived stress; university students.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic presentation of study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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