{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:16:51Z","timestamp":1785417411197,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,26]],"date-time":"2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742947200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Psychological distress (PD) is a prevalent concern among undergraduate health science students globally. Despite this, data specific to Uganda is limited.\n\nAim:\u00a0This study assessed the prevalence of PD among undergraduate health sciences students in Uganda.\n\nMethods:\u00a0We obtained data on the psychological distress burden using self-administered DASS-21 questionnaires. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.\n\nResults:\u00a0We enrolled 398 participants, of whom 217 (54.5%) were males. The median age of the participants was 22 years (interquartile range [IQR], 21 to 24). Of the participants, more than half (57%) had moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety. Nearly half of them (42%) reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression, while 26% of the students had moderate to severe symptoms of stress.\n\nLessons Learnt:\u00a0This study highlights significant psychological distress among health science students at Makerere University, with high levels of anxiety, depression and stress. It emphasises the need for improved mental health support in academic settings, aligning with the\u00a0African Journal of Primary Health Care &amp; Family Medicine\u2019s focus on contextual healthcare challenges.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/phcfm.v17i1.4749","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,26]],"date-time":"2025-03-26T21:09:43Z","timestamp":1743023383000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Psychological distress among undergraduate health sciences students in Uganda"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-1137-4056","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nakitende","family":"Naswiibah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03dmz0111","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Makerere University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3249-117X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Richard","family":"Muhindo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03dmz0111","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Makerere University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Akdemir M, Aktekin MR, \u015eenol YY, et al. Depression and psychological distress in medical students, a prospective study. Arch Neuropsychiatr. 2022;59(2):116. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.29399\/npa.27799","DOI":"10.29399\/npa.27799"},{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tuck D, Wiley J, Patlamazoglou L, Berger E. Distress of tertiary education students in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Psychol. 2023;79(3):818\u2013834. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/jclp.23445","DOI":"10.1002\/jclp.23445"},{"key":"ref2","unstructured":"Aline D, Alain M, Dominic BP. Mental illnesses \u2013 Understanding, prediction and control. In: L\u2019Abate L, editor. Epidemiology of Psychological distress. Rijeka: IntechOpen, 2012; p. 1."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Porru F, Robroek SJW, B\u00fcltmann U, Portoghese I, Campagna M, Burdorf A. Mental health among university students: The associations of effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment with psychological distress. J Affect Disord. 2021;282:953\u2013961. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jad.2020.12.183","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2020.12.183"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dachew BA, Azale Bisetegn T, Berhe Gebremariam R. Prevalence of mental distress and associated factors among undergraduate students of University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional institutional based study. PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0119464. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0119464","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0119464"},{"key":"ref5","unstructured":"David S. Mind and health: The human journey [homepage on the Internet] 2023. [cited 2023 Mar 31]. Available from: https:\/\/humanjourney.us\/health-and-education-in-the-modern-world\/mind-and-health\/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwiZqhBhCJARIsACHHEH-itGXWPoMAvqkkL4OzLB_E-s31fOjrxoVOqqb6TECZYkqqyPzHn4MaAojGEALw_wcB"},{"key":"ref6","unstructured":"Yolanda W. Psychological distress [homepage on the Internet]. 2021. [cited 2023 feb 22]. 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Work. 2018;61(3):391\u2013401. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3233\/WOR-182815","DOI":"10.3233\/WOR-182815"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Elgohary HM, Sehlo MG, Bassiony MM, Youssef UM, Elrafey DS, Amin SI. Depression among health workers caring for patients with COVID-19 in Egypt. Egypt J Neurol Psychiat Neurosurg. 2021;57:1\u201310. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s41983-021-00394-1","DOI":"10.1186\/s41983-021-00394-1"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rao S, Ramesh N. Depression, anxiety and stress levels in industrial workers: A pilot study in Bangalore, India. Ind Psychiatry J. 2015;24(1):23\u201328. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4103\/0972-6748.160927","DOI":"10.4103\/0972-6748.160927"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Al Saadi T, Zaher Addeen S, Turk T, Abbas F, Alkhatib M. Psychological distress among medical students in conflicts: A cross-sectional study from Syria. 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