A meta-analysis of depressive symptoms among Ethiopian prisoners and a narrative description of its associated factors: a country based systematic review and meta-analysis study

Prevalence of Depression and Its Associated Factors among Prisoners in North Wollo Zone, Northeastern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Depression is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding and enjoyable activities. It is one of the leading mental disorders among prisoners worldwide. However, little attention is given to this condition, especially in developing countries. Hence, this study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among prisoners in North Wollo Zone Correctional Institutions, Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out among 407 prisoners from November 20 to December 20, 2020. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select the study participants, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was utilized to measure the prevalence of depression among prisoners. Data analyses were done using SPSS version 20 software program. Descriptive and inferential statistics including bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were run to assess the association between depression and the independent variables, and a p value of less than 0.05 was taken to declare statistically significant values.

Results

A total of 407 prisoners participated in the study, making the response rate 96.9%. The mean age of the participants was 31.7 ± 12.83. Forty-one percent of them were between the ages of 18 and 27 years. In this study, the prevalence of depression was 55.5%. Age 38-47 (AOR = 4.29; 95%CI = 1.51, 12.20), having children (AOR = 2.75; 95%CI = 1.40, 5.42), sentences for 5-10 years and over 10 years (AOR = 6.26; 95%CI = 3.19, 12.30 and AOR = 7.71; 95%CI = 3.47, 17.17, respectively), having a history of mental illness (AOR = 5.22; 95%CI = 2.39, 11.36), having two or more stressful life events (AOR = 6.61; 95%CI = 2.73, 15.96), and poor social support (AOR = 8.13; 95%CI = 3.43, 19.27) were significantly associated with depression.

Conclusions

In this study, more than half of the study participants were found having depression which is relatively higher compared with other previous studies across the globe. Moreover, different variables including the inmate's age of 38-47 years, having children, a sentence of 5-10 and over 10 years, history of mental illness, having two or more stressful life events, and poor social support were factors significantly associated with depression. Thus, awareness creation for police officers and prison managers about depression screening in prison and treatment programs including psychological counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy for prisoners are recommended.

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among prisoners in Kaliti Federal Prison in Ethiopia: a facility based cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

This study intended to examine the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among inmates in Kaliti Prison Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 694 randomly selected inmates in Kaliti Federal Prison in Ethiopia. The depressive symptom was examined using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify correlates of depressive symptoms. A p value <0.05 was considered to declare statistical significance, and an adjusted OR (AOR) with the corresponding 95% CI was computed to determine the strength of association. Data were analysed using SPSS V.20.

RESULT

The prevalence of depressive symptoms among prisoners in the current study was 56.6% (95% CI 53.2 to 60.8). Poor social support (AOR: 3.33, 95% CI 2.03 to 5.458), personal history of mental illness (AOR=3.16, 95% CI 1.62 to 6.14), physical abuse (AOR=2.31, 95% CI 1.41 to 3.78) and comorbid chronic medical illness (AOR=3.47, 95% CI 2.09 to 5.74) were independent correlates of depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that around one in two prisoners screened positive for depressive symptoms. There should be a regular screening of depressive symptoms for prisoners, and those screened positive should be linked to proper psychiatric service for early diagnosis and treatment.

Suicidal ideation, attempt, and its associated factors among HIV/AIDS patients in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis study

BACKGROUND

Suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt are warning signs for and determine the prognosis of completed suicide. These suicidal behaviors are much more pronounced in people living with HIV/AIDS. Despite this, there is a scarcity of aggregate evidence in Africa. This study was therefore aimed to fill this gap.

METHODS

we extensively searched Psych-info, PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE to obtain eligible studies. Further screening for a reference list of articles was also done. Meta XL package was used to extract data and the Stata-11 was also employed. Cochran's Q- and the Higgs I² test were engaged to check heterogeneity. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis were implemented. Egger's test and funnel plots were used in detecting publication bias.

RESULTS

The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was 21.7% (95% CI 16.80, 26.63). The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa was 22.7%, 25.3%, 9.8%, and 18.05% respectively. The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was larger; 27.7% in studies that used Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) than Mini-international Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI); 16.96%. Moreover, the prevalence of suicidal ideation in studies with a sample size of < 400 was 23.42% whereas it was 18.3% in studies with a sample size ≥ of 400 participants. The pooled prevalence of suicidal attempts in this study was 11.06% (95% CI 6.21, 15.92). A suicidal attempt was higher in Ethiopia (16.97%) and Nigeria (16.20%) than Uganda (3.51%). This pooled prevalence of suicidal attempt was higher among studies that used a smaller sample (< 400 participants) (15.5%) than studies that used a larger sample size (≥ 400 participants) (8.4%). The pooled prevalence of suicidal attempt was 3.75%, and 16.97% in studies that used MINI and CIDI respectively. Our narrative synthesis revealed that advanced stages of AIDS, co-morbid depression, perceived HIV stigma, and poor social support was among the factors strongly associated with suicidal ideation and attempt.

CONCLUSION

The pooled magnitude of suicidal ideation and attempt was high and factors like advanced stages of AIDS, co-morbid depression, perceived stigma, and poor social support were related to it. Clinicians should be geared towards this mental health problem of HIV patients during management.

Mood Symptoms, Suicide, and Associated Factors Among Jimma Community. A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The global burden of mental health problems is high and is predicted to rise. At present, mood symptoms are the foremost common psychological problems worldwide, yet little is known regarding their magnitude and associated factors in developing countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of anxiety, depressive, manic symptoms, and suicidal behavior among the rural Jimma community, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based quantitative cross-sectional survey was employed on 423 households selected through systematic random sampling. An adapted version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview tool was used for the structured face-to-face interview. The collected data were checked for completeness, coded, and inserted into Epi Data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Variables with P < g0.05 and odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] on multivariate logistic regression analysis were considered as factors associated with the outcome variable. Results: Overall, 185 (44.0%), 55 (13.1%), 44 (10.5%), and 23 (5.5%) of the respondents had anxiety, depressive, manic symptom, and suicide behavior, respectively. The odds of having anxiety symptoms were nearly 5 times higher among those who had perceived discrimination and racism experience compared to their counterpart [adjusted OR (AOR), 5.02; 95% CI, 1.90-13.26]. Likewise, recently bereaved participants had 4-fold higher odds of reporting depressive symptoms (AOR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.4-10.4) than the non-bereaved ones. Furthermore, respondents who had depressive symptoms were almost four and a half times more likely to have manic symptoms compared to those who did not (AOR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.71-11.02). Conclusion: Anxiety, depressive, manic symptoms, and suicidal behavior were prevalent in the community and positively associated with multiple psychosocial factors. Implementing accessible and affordable community-based mental health services is recommended to mitigate the problems.