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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Jun 4;14(6):e076580.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-076580.

Prevalence of depression and its associated factors among Ethiopian students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Setegn Fentahun  1 , Girmaw Medfu Takelle  2 , Gidey Rtbey  2 , Fantahun Andualem  2 , Techilo Tinsae  2 , Girum Nakie  2 , Mamaru Melkam  2 , Gebresilassie Tadesse  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of depression and its associated factors among Ethiopian students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Setegn Fentahun et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study is to estimate the overall pooled prevalence of depression and its associated factors among high school, college and university students in Ethiopia.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data sources: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Direct, African Journal Online and Google Scholar. The primary articles were searched from 2 April 2023 to 11 May 2023.

Eligibility criteria: Observational studies such as cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies that reported the prevalence and associated factors of depression among students in Ethiopia were included. Both published and unpublished primary studies were included in this review.

Data extraction and synthesis: Two authors independently extracted all the important data using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and exported it to Stata V.14 for analysis. The statistical heterogeneity among the included articles was assessed by the I2 statistics test. Publication bias was checked using the funnel plot and Egger's regression test.

Results: A total of 17 primary studies with 8798 study participants were included in the current study to estimate the combined prevalence of depression. The pooled prevalence of depression among Ethiopian students was 35.52% with a 95% CI (30.54% to 40.51%). Subgroup analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of depression was higher in Addis Ababa, which was 40.43%, with a 95% CI (28.02% to 52.83%). Female sex, first-year educational level, family history of mental illness, alcohol drinking and parental neglect were significantly associated with depression in this study.

Conclusion: In this review, the overall pooled prevalence of depression among students in Ethiopia was high compared with the general population. Therefore, it is necessary to make more efforts to provide mental healthcare and psychosocial support to students to improve their mental health and decrease the overall burden of depression.

Prospero registration number: CRD42023424301.

Keywords: depression & mood disorders; mental health; psychiatry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of study selection for meta-analysis of depression among students in Ethiopia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot showing the pooled prevalence of depression among students in Ethiopia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Funnel plot of depression among students in Ethiopia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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