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Background: Global evidence on psychosis is dominated by studies conducted in Western, high-income countries. The objectives of the Study of Context Of Psychoses to improve outcomes in Ethiopia (SCOPE) are (1) to generate rigorous evidence of psychosis experience, epidemiology and impacts in Ethiopia that will illuminate aetiological understanding and (2) inform development and testing of interventions for earlier identification and improved first contact care that are scalable, inclusive of difficult-to-reach populations and optimise recovery., Methods: The setting is sub-cities of Addis Ababa and rural districts in south-central Ethiopia covering 1.1 million people and including rural, urban and homeless populations. SCOPE comprises (1) formative work to understand care pathways and community resources (resource mapping); examine family context and communication (ethnography); develop valid measures of family communication and personal recovery; and establish platforms for community engagement and involvement of people with lived experience; (2a) a population-based incidence study, (2b) a case-control study and (2c) a cohort study with 12 months follow-up involving 440 people with psychosis (390 rural/Addis Ababa; 50 who are homeless), 390 relatives and 390 controls. We will test hypotheses about incidence rates in rural vs. urban populations and men vs. women; potential aetiological role of khat (a commonly chewed plant with amphetamine-like properties) and traumatic exposures in psychosis; determine profiles of needs at first contact and predictors of outcome; (3) participatory workshops to develop programme theory and inform co-development of interventions, and (4) evaluation of the impact of early identification strategies on engagement with care (interrupted time series study). Findings will inform development of (5) a protocol for (5a) a feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial of interventions for people with recent-onset psychosis in rural settings and (5b) two uncontrolled pilot studies to test acceptability, feasibility of co-developed interventions in urban and homeless populations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Hanlon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Currently, conflict become common phenomenon in the world affecting the lives of millions of children. Due the continued conflict in Ethiopia millions of children are suffering from extreme levels of violence, lack of basic humanitarian needs, and lack of health services., Objective: This study was designed to assess the effect of conflict on child and adolescent health in Amhara region, September 2022., Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among children agedd < 18 years in conflict affected areas of Amhara region. The sample size was determined using a single population proportion formula. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews of children or child legal guardians. Data was cleaned, verified, and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analysis was done using SPSS version 24 statistical software., Result: Seven hundred and ninety-eight children agedd less than 18 years were involved with a response rate of 94.33 percent. More than one thirds (276, 34.59%) of children were displaced due to the conflict. Three hundred and thirty one (41.48%) children get diseased with the majority didn't receive treatment. More than two thirds (557, 69.80%) of children had experienced violence of different types. One hundred and thirty four (41.23%) children had acute malnutrition with two third (66.42%) of them had severe acute malnutrition., Conclusion: Conflict had deadly impacts on the lives of children and adolescents. It causes massive displacement, lack of basic humanitarian needs, extreme level of violence, hunger and malnutrition, and lack of health services. The government and other national and international humanitarian aids should give special attention to children living in war zone of Amhara region. In addition, rehabilitation services and resilience training should be designed and provided to children affected by the conflict., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: To date, conflict is causing extreme social crises worldwide, with children representing the most vulnerable group, often experiencing severe trauma and violence in conflict-ridden areas. Posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSDs) are the most widely reported psychological problem in the aftermath of conflict. However, less attention has been given to children living in conflict-prone areas of the world., Objective: The present study aimed to assess posttraumatic stress disorders among children and adolescents in conflict-affected zones of the Amhara region in Ethiopia from January to February 2022., Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed from January to February 2022. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participants. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was designed to collect the desired data. Data were verified, coded, and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 24 statistical software., Result: A total of 846 children with a response rate of 94.33% were screened for trauma. Subsequently, 557 (69.80%) children had experienced trauma. Of these 557 children who had experienced trauma, 203 (36.45%) developed posttraumatic stress disorders. Based on these results, this study recommends that mass screening of children and adolescents for posttraumatic stress disorders and rehabilitation services be undertaken, including resilience training and psychosocial support., Competing Interests: 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., (Copyright © 2023 Biset, Goshiye, Melesse and Tsehay.)

Purpose: Dental caries is a significant public health issue affecting both the diabetic and nondiabetic populations. However, the problem and associated factors of dental caries among diabetics and nondiabetics patients are not well-known in Ethiopia. This study aims to compare the prevalence of dental caries and associated factors among diabetic and nondiabetic patients at the Outpatient Department of Bichena Primary Hospital in Northwest, Ethiopia., Methods: Institutional based, comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from October 7 to December 6, 2019, among 200 diabetes and 400 nondiabetic adult patients. A consecutive sampling technique was implemented to recruit study participants. Data were collected by a pretested structured questionnaire and analysis was performed in Statistical Package for Social Science version 20. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were employed and variables with a p -value < 0.05 were declared statistically significant., Results: A total of 582 patients were involved in the study with a response rate of 97.0%. The prevalence of dental caries was 67.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 63.2%-72.8%] and 79.6% (95% CI: 74.0%-85.70%) in nondiabetic and diabetic group, respectively. Females gender [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.15-2.77], poor oral hygiene (AOR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.71-5.11), lack of regular teeth cleaning habits (AOR = 3.26, 95% CI: 2.13-4.97), feeling dry mouth (AOR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.11-4.81), sugared tea drinking (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.18-3.38), inadequate oral health knowledge (AOR = 3.51, 95% CI: 2.19-5.62), and khat chewing (AOR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.24-3.71) were significantly associated factors with high prevalence of dental caries., Conclusion: The prevalence of caries was significantly higher among diabetics than nondiabetics. Oral health education with preventive measures such as improving teeth cleaning practice, reducing sugary foods and drinks intake, and improving oral hygiene practice of patients should be mainstreamed along with diabetic follow-up care., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2022 Shiferaw, Alem, Tsehay and Kibret.)

Background: There is no pooled evidence regarding the prevalence and potential associated factors of depression among cancer patients in Ethiopian community. Hence, the current review aimed to examine the prevalence and associated factors of depression among cancer patients in Ethiopia., Method: A computerized systematic literature search was made in MEDLINE, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Each database was searched from its start date to June 2020. More over we will also add scholars and gray literature consultations. All articles will be included if they were published in English, which evaluated the prevalence and associated factors of depression among cancer patients in Ethiopia. Pooled estimations with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated with DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. Publication bias was evaluated by using inspection of funnel plots and statistical tests., Discussion: Since we are using existing anonymized data, ethical approval is not required for this study. Our results can be used to guide clinical decisions about the most efficient way to prevent and treat depression among cancer patients. Systematic review registration Submitted to Prospero., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The prevalence rates of depression and anxiety are unforeseen among primary caregivers of patients with epilepsy. Little attention is being given to the problem in Ethiopia., Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression and anxiety among caregivers of children and adolescents with epilepsy in three selected hospitals in Amhara region, Ethiopia., Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Ethiopia from January 1-30/2021. Systematic sampling technique was used. The Public Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaires were used to measure depression and anxiety respectively. Binary logistic regression model was employed independently for both depression and anxiety. Variables with P-values <0.2 were taken to multivariate analyses. Variables with P-value <0.05 in the multivariate analyses were considered to have a statistical association with depression and anxiety., Result: A total of 383 participants involved yielding a response rate of 90.5%. The prevalence of depression and anxiety were found to be 13.7% and 10.4% respectively. Being female (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.21: 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.00, 3.82), being unmarried (AOR = 1.31; 95%CI: 0.32, 5.023), having history of chronic medical illness (AOR = 1.46; 95%CI: 1.07, 1.98), current seizure attack (AOR = 4.19; 95%CI: 1.36, 12.97), duration of care 6-11years (AOR = 1.80; 95%CI: 1.11, 7.58), duration of care > 11years (AOR = 6.90; 95%CI: 1.56, 30.49), moderate social support (AOR = 0.37; 95%CI: 0.13, 0.81), strong social support (AOR = 0.61; 95%CI: 0.22, 1.67) and currently use substance (AOR = 2.01;95%CI: 1.63, 6.46) were factors associated with depression. On the other hand, being unmarried (AOR = 1.47; 95%CI: 1.12, 1.93), current seizure attack (AOR = 1.81 with 95% CI = 1.28-2.54), able to read and write (AOR = 0.33; 95%CI: 0.14, 0.77), completed primary and secondary education (AOR = 0.54; 95%CI: 0.39, 0.76), current substance use (AOR = 1.466; 95%CI: 1.12, 1.93), being parent (AOR = 2.55; 95%CI: 1.31, 4.96), rural (AOR = 3.75; 95%CI: 1.40, 10.04) and grand mal type (AOR = 2.21; 95%CI: 1.68, 2.91) were factors associated with anxiety., Conclusions: In our study, approximately one in fifteen and more than one in ten caregivers had depression and anxiety respectively. The result of this study suggested that healthcare providers need to pay more attention to the psychological well-being of all caregivers of children and adolescents with epilepsy., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Among the more than 10 million people imprisoned around the world, the rate of mental illness is higher than among the general population for various reasons. Although rates of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety in this population may have changed as a response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and other factors, to our knowledge, no related studies have been conducted related to depression and anxiety in this population during the pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to assess depression, anxiety, and associated factors among Dessie City prisoners during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak., Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2020. A total of 420 prisoners were selected via a systematic sampling technique. PHQ-9 depression scale, generalized anxiety disorder-7 questionnaire, Oslo 3-item social support scale, insomnia severity index, and Brief COPE scale were used. Data were entered by using Epi-Data version 3.1 and finally exported to Statistical Package for Social Science Software version 21 for analysis. We fitted a multiple binary logistic regression model. Finally, an adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was reported and factors with a p -value < 0.05 were considered as significant for depression and anxiety., Results: This study showed that 279 (66.4%) of imprisoned people had major depressive disorder with 95% CI of (61.4, 70.6), while 281 (66.9) had generalized anxiety disorder with 95% CI of (61.9, 71.9)., Conclusion: In this study, the overall prevalence of depression and anxiety was significantly high, and was related to a number of factors including COVID-19. Therefore, designing and implementing strategies for COVID-19 prevention and control in prisons is highly recommended to reduce mental health problems among prisoners., Competing Interests: 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., (Copyright © 2022 Birkie, Necho, Tsehay, Gelaye, Beyene, Belete, Asmamaw, Tessema, Bogale and Adane.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide epidemic declared by the world health organization as a public health emergency of concern and consequently inducing huge mental health and psychological reactions., Aims: This study is aimed to summarize the existing data regarding anxiety, depression, and psychological distress during the covid-19 pandemic among the wider population so that effective intervention strategies will be initiated., Methods: Pieces of literature that assessed anxiety, depression, and psychological distress among the general population during the COVID pandemic period were systematically gathered. Data extraction in Microsoft excel was done by two independent reviewers using predefined criteria. The analysis was done using a stata-11 and random effect model. A sub-group and sensitivity analysis was done. Besides, the funnel plot and eggers publication bias test was tested., Results: Sixteen studies that assessed 78,225 participants were included. Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis for anxiety prevalence. The average prevalence of anxiety was found to be 38.12%. A sub-group analysis showed that anxiety was 33.33% in China and 47.70% in other countries (Italy, Turkey, and India). Anxiety prevalence in studies measured with the DASS-21 scale, GAD-7 scale, and other tools (SAS, HADS, and 5-point Likert scale) was 23.4%, 40.73%, and 44.47% respectively. The prevalence of anxiety in studies that assessed a sample size above 2,000 participants was 40.33%. The average prevalence of depression among included studies was 34.31% and a sub-group analysis showed that depression was higher in China (36.32%) than in other countries (28.3%). Moreover, six studies reported psychological distress and the average prevalence was 37.54%., Conclusion: This study revealed that anxiety, depression, and psychological distress are potential public mental health problems of the global community that suggests the need for early recognition and initiation of interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic period.