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Yared Reta,1 Mohammed Ayalew,1 Tebikew Yeneabat,2 Asres Bedaso1 1Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Hawassa, SNNPR, Ethiopia; 2Debre Markos University, College of Health Sciences, Department of Midwifery, Debre Markos, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Yared Reta Email yaredr2002@yahoo.comIntroduction: Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also called social phobia, is an uncontrollable fear of social situations, which involve fear of observation or making contact with strangers. So, helping individuals with social anxiety, which is among the factors affecting mental health, can significantly influence a students’ mental health and prevent other problems.Objective: The study aimed at assessing the magnitude of SAD and its determinants among undergraduate students of Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences.Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1 to May 30, 2018, in Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences. We selected participants by a stratified random sampling method, and we collected data independently from each stratum (department) using a 17 item self-rating Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) scale to assess SAD. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to find factors associated with SAD.Results: Out of 304 students, 293 completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 96.3%. The mean age of the participants was 22.13 years with a standard deviation of ± 2.176, and 172 (58.7%) were males. The prevalence of SAD was 32.8%. Family history of mental illness (AOR=4.72, 95% CI (1.25, 17.74)), being a 3rd-year student (AOR=0.178, 95% CI (0.055, 0.57)) and being a 4th year student (AOR=0.15, 95% CI (0.049, 0.49)) were significantly associated with SAD.Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of SAD among medicine and health science students of Hawassa University. Therefore, the Ethiopian Ministry of Higher Education and university officials need to draw up a plan to reduce social phobia.Keywords: social anxiety disorder, undergraduate students, Ethiopia

Yared Reta,1 Tinbete Samuel,2,* Mekedes Mekonnen2,* 1Department of Psychiatry, Hawassa University, Hawassa, SNNPR, Ethiopia; 2School of Nursing, Hawassa University, Hawassa, SNNPR, Ethiopia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yared Reta Email yaredr2002@yahoo.comBackground: Mental distress is a range of symptoms and experiences of a person’s internal life that are commonly held to be troubling, confusing or out of the ordinary. Mental distress often interferes with studying, social interaction, and academic outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the prevalence of mental distress and factors associated with it among undergraduate engineering students at Hawassa University.Methods: We conducted an institution-based cross-sectional descriptive study on undergraduate engineering students at Hawassa University. We collected the data from January to April 30, 2018, using interviewer-administered Self-Report Questionnaire 20 (SRQ-20) from 341 participants selected by stratified sampling and we performed multiple logistic regression analysis to find factors associated with mental distress.Results: Out of the total study population, 222 (65.1%) were males, and 172 (50.4%) were age ≥ 21. We found the prevalence of mental distress using SRQ-20 with a cut-off point ≥ 8 to be 28.7%. Female students were 2.9 times more likely to have mental distress as compared to male students (AOR= 2.90, 95% CI: 1.52– 5.50). Facing financial problem (AOR= 2.20; CI = 1.25– 3.85), poor social support (AOR= 2.58, 95% CI: 1.51– 4.42), lack of interest in their field of study (AOR=2.57; CI: 1.23– 5.38) and unresolved conflict with roommate (AOR= 2.29, 95% CI: 1.08– 4.00) were significant predictors of mental distress.Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of mental distress among engineering students. So, policymakers, university officials, and parents need to give due attention to engineering undergraduate students for proactive measures.Keywords: mental distress, engineering students, Hawassa, Ethiopia

Company holds an important role in realizing sustainable development through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs. One of CSR program implemented by PT Badak NGL is community empowerment through community-based compost management. This study investigated social effects experienced by the stakeholders of environmental awareness community or Masdarling, and the extent of the social effects compared to the total investment made by PT Badak NGL. Quasi-qualitative was employed to carry out this study. Its data were analyzed using triangulation technique to map program advantages (qualitative) and Social Return on Investment-SROI (quantitative) approach. Meanwhile, the data themselves were collected using in-depth interview, Focus Group Discussion, and secondary data review. Based on the data analysis, it was found that the community-based compost management done in Masdarling village in the period of 2018-2020 obtained the SROI ration of 1.59, meaning that every 1 rupiah invested gained a benefit of 1.59 rupiah. This shows that this program is still categorized as feasible. In addition, the highest benefit felt by the compost stakeholders and Telihan Village officers was due to the addition of income for the members of compost management and the savings felt by people in Neighborhood or RT 26.

Abstract Objective This study was conducted to determine the rate of initial second-line ART regimen change and its predictors among adults living with HIV in Amhara region. A retrospective follow-up study was conducted between February, 2008 and April, 2016 at eight governmental hospitals of Amhara region. Person-times and Cox proportional hazard model were fitted to determine the rate and to identify the significant predictors of second-line treatment regimen change. Results A total of 897 records of patients were analyzed. The overall rate of initial second-line drug regimen change was 24.2 per 100 person years. The rate of regimen change was decreased for patients with formal education (HR: 0.77, 95% CI 0.61–0.97), under WHO clinical stage-III (HR: 0.57, 95% CI 0.45–0.73), and WHO clinical stage-IV (HR: 0.64, 95% CI 0.43–0.96). Patients who were taking CPT (HR: 2.05, 95% CI 1.45–2.89) had an increased rate of regimen change. Furthermore, the rate of regimen change was decreased for patients who were switched to second-line treatment due to virological failure (HR: 0.36, 95% CI 0.25–0.53), and due to drug toxicity (HR: 0.48, 95% CI 0.28–0.81). Therefore, addressing significant predictors to maximize the durability on the initial regimen among ART clients is essential.

The government is currently trying to realize Sustainable Development Goals/ SGDs. SGDs are not merely dreams that cannot be realized. The noble goal of SDG is to realize sustainable development for the better future that is in line with the concepts of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). One of the companies that participated in the realization of SDGS is PT Badak NGL. This study used descriptive analysis to provide clear descriptions or overviews of the object of the study. The study also used a case study of a MSME under the guidance of PT Badak NGL, namely Saputra Snack. Thus, the common goals between CSR, and SDGs is the spirit to realize sustainable development in terms of business strategies by implementing CSR programs. If all elements are committed to realize 17 SDG, so we can provide better future for our children - with low poverty, environment and earth sustainability, low levels of inequality in the economic, social and legal education sectors. Based on the observation and analysis, one of the keys of success to Saputra Snack was its high commitment. The high commitment did not only come from Saputra Snack itself, but also from PT Badak NGL Community Development party.

BACKGROUND:Unintended pregnancy has significant consequences for the health and welfare of women and children. Despite this, a number of studies with inconsistent findings were conducted to reduce unintended pregnancy in Ethiopia; unavailability of a nationwide study that determines the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its determinants is an important research gap. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the overall prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its determinants in Ethiopia. METHODS:We searched from Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases for studies. Each of the original studies was assessed using a tool for the risk of bias of observational studies. The heterogeneity of studies was also assessed using I2 test statistics. Data were pooled and a random effect meta-analysis model was fitted to provide the overall prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its determinants in Ethiopia. In addition, the subgroup analyses were performed to investigate how the prevalence of unintended pregnancy varies across different groups of studies. RESULTS:Twenty-eight studies that satisfy the eligibility criteria were included. We found that the overall prevalence of unintended pregnancy in Ethiopia was 28% (95% CI: 26-31). The subgroup analyses showed that the highest prevalence of unintended pregnancy was observed from the Oromiya region (33.8%) followed by Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' region (30.6%) and the lowest was in Harar. In addition, the pooled prevalence of unintended pregnancy was 26.4% (20.8-32.4) and 30.0% (26.6-33.6) for community-based cross-sectional and institution-based cross-sectional studies respectively. The pooled analysis showed that not communicating with one's husband about family planning was more likely to lead to unintended pregnancy (OR: 3.56, 95%CI: 1.68-7.53). The pooled odds ratio also showed that unintended pregnancy is more likely among women who never use family planning methods (OR: 2.08, 95%CI: 1.18-3.69). Furthermore, the narrative review of this study showed that maternal education, age, and household wealth index are strongly associated with an unintended pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS:In this study, the prevalence of unintended pregnancy was high. Lack of spousal communication, never using family planning, maternal education, and household wealth level were significantly associated with an unintended pregnancy. This study implies the need to develop plans and policies to improve the awareness of contraceptive utilization and strengthen spousal communication related to pregnancy.

Mangrove forest is one of the resources that has important functions and roles in a single ecosystem. The utilization of mangrove forest also has a fairly high economic value. The existence of mangrove forest has several functions such as a media for mangrove crab cultivation, mangrove cultivation, diversification of mangrove products and mangrove tourism. Some of these benefits were introduced by CSR of Badak LNG program to society around the mangrove forest in Bontang City for the economic improvement of coastal communities by exploiting the existing mangrove potential. Thus, the aim of this study is to calculate the economic value of the utilization of mangrove forest. The research method used is quantitative method by using benefit cost analysis. In brief, the results showed that the utilization of mangrove resources conducted by the community or local community groups such as mangrove crab cultivation, mangrove seedling, mangrove dodol, mangrove syrup and mangrove tourism. The highest direct benefits of mangrove area came from mangrove seedlings (71%), mangrove dodol (9.76%), mangrove tourism (6.82%), mangrove crab (6.47%) and mangrove syrup (5.96 %). Meanwhile the value of choice for mangrove area is 30 Ha. From the calculation results, the benefit obtained of mangrove forest selection was Rp 6.087.150,00 per year. Based on the mentioned value, it indicated that the respondents were willing to pay for the existence of mangrove forest ranging from Rp 50.000,00 – Rp 750.000,00. The total existence value of mangrove forest was Rp 4.375.000,00 for 50 respondents and the total value of existence per year was Rp 52,500,000.00. The total benefit of mangrove forest was Rp 4,749,322,671,00 per year. As the result, the 87% indirect benefit is the largest contributor to the benefits of mangrove forests in South Bontang District. While the second largest contributor is a direct benefit of 12%.

Penelitian ini memiliki beberapa tujuan yaitu mengidentifikasi model implementasi program Community Development bidang pendidikan yang dilakukan PT Badak NGL dan mengidentifikasi dampak implementasi program Community Development bidang pendidikan tersebut. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dengan metode analisis deskriptif. Sumber data yang digunakan adalah primer dan sekunder. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa program Community Development bidang pendidikan yang dilakukan oleh PT Badak NGL adalah pemberian beasiswa penuh untuk siswa SMP, SMA, dan Perguruan Tinggi serta beasiswa untuk mahasiswa LNG Academy; peduli pendidikan di daerah terisolir dengan membuat boarding community untuk siswa dari daerah terisolir agar dapat mengikuti Ujian Akhir Nasional; dan program peningkatan kualitas guru dengan memberikan pelatihan kepada guru. Program-program tersebut dilaksanakan oleh PT Badak NGL sebagai bentuk tanggung jawab dan peran serta PT Badak NGL mewujudkan masyarakat yang berdaya, mengurangi tingkat kemiskinan, dan turut dalam proses pembangunan yang berkelanjutan. This research aims to determine the implementation of Community Development education model conducted by PT Badak NGL, and to identified Community Development program implementation effect in education sector. The research type is qualitative research with descriptive analysis methods with data sources of primary and secondary data. The research results indicate that Community Development education program given by PT Badak NGL is a full scholarship awarding scholarships for junior high school students, high schools and universities as well as scholarships for students of the Academy of LNG; care about education in remote areas by creating a community for boarding students from remote areas in order to follow the National Exam; and programs to improve the quality of teachers by providing training to teachers. The programs were implemented by PT Badak NGL as a form of responsibility of PT Badak NGL in the role of PT Badak NGL realize empowered community, reduce poverty and contribute in the process of sustainable development.

Background: In Ethiopia, the first 3 days (72 h) after admission to the emergency department (ED) account for more than half (59.8%) of all deaths. However, little is known about the prevalence of early mortality and its associated factors in southern Ethiopia., Objective: The main objective of this study is to assess the prevalence and associated factors of early mortality among deaths in adult EDs at selected public hospitals in Hawassa, southern Ethiopia., Methods: An institutional-based retrospective cross-sectional study design was applied. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 369 charts of patients who died in the adult EDs of selected public hospitals in the past 2 years. The data were collected using a standardized and pretested data abstraction tool using the Kobo Toolbox data collection tool. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to assess the strength of the association. Statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05, and an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval was used to report the strength of the association., Result: According to the results of the current study, 288 patients, or 78% of the total, passed away within 72 h of admission to the ED. The following variables were significantly associated with early mortality: delayed initial intervention (AOR 2.338), red triage categories (AOR 3.9), lack of investigation (AOR 3.4), comorbid illness (AOR 3.2), absence of prehospital treatment (AOR 4.2), and road traffic accidents (AOR 4.1)., Conclusion: There was an increased early mortality rate seen in this investigation. The following factors were significantly associated with an early death in the ED: comorbidity, delayed intervention, red warning score, road traffic accidents, absence of prehospital treatment, and lack of diagnostic testing. By addressing the variables that are strongly linked to an early mortality, every intervention should be undertaken to reduce the risk of an early death., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing poor-quality sleep. People with this problem often have trouble falling asleep at night, wake up frequently during the night, and may wake up too early in the morning and feel tired and not refreshed. This can lead to daytime fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and impaired functioning in their day-to-day activities. Study is scarce in resource-limited countries such as Ethiopia, particularly concerning the study setting. As a result, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of insomnia and its associated factors among undergraduate students at Hawassa University., Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study design was used. A stratified simple random sampling method was used among 398 study participants. The data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The outcome variable was assessed by the insomnia severity index (ISI). The data were then gathered by using the Kobo toolbox online and then exported into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 27 to analyze the data. Data cleaning and screening were conducted exclusively by the investigators. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percentages, and mean were used. Bivariate and multivariate binary regression were performed. In multivariate binary logistic regression, a p -value of<0.05 was identified as a significantly associated factor with the dependent variable., Results: Among 398 students who participated in the study, 81 (20.4%) experienced insomnia. Being female [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.98; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.56-5.69], age (AOR = 3.06; 95% CI 1.11-8.45), mild anxiety symptom (AOR = 4.89; 95% CI 1.56-15.37), and mobile device use ≥30 min just before going to sleep (AOR = 7.81; 95% CI 2.34-26.12) were significantly associated with insomnia., Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of insomnia was one-fifth among university students, which is high when compared to another study at the national level. There were significant associations between being female, age, anxiety symptoms, and mobile device use before going to sleep with insomnia. This indicates that there is a need to treat and prevent insomnia in college students, emphasizing the necessity for mental healthcare and ethical technology use., 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 © 2024 Aschale Wale, Reta, Addis, Tarekegn, Tafese and Tsega Chekol.)

Background: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a condition causing severe emotional, physical, and behavioral symptoms before menstruation. It greatly hinders daily activities, affecting academic and interpersonal relationships. Attention is not given to premenstrual disorders among female students in higher education. As a result, students are susceptible to stress, and their academic success is influenced by various factors, including their menstrual cycle, and the long-term outcomes and consequences are poorly researched. Even though PMDD has a significant negative impact on student's academic achievement and success limited research has been conducted in low- and middle-income countries including Ethiopia, especially in the study setting. Therefore, a study is needed to assess premenstrual dysphoric disorder and associated factors among regular undergraduate students at Hawassa University., Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 374 regular undergraduate female students at Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences. A self-administered structured premenstrual symptoms screening tool for adolescents was used to assess premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The collected data were loaded into a statistical package for the social science version 25 and analyzed using it. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Each independent variable was entered separately into bivariate analysis, and a variable with a p-value less than 0.25 were included in the multivariate analysis to adjust the possible confounders. Statistically significant was declared at a 95% confidence interval when variable with a p-value less than 0.05 in the multivariate analysis with premenstrual dysphoric disorder., Results: The magnitude of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in this study was 62.6% (95% CI 57.4-67.5). Having severe premenstrual pain (AOR = 6.44;95%CI 1.02-40.73), having irregular menstrual cycle (AOR = 2.21; 95% CI 1.32-3.70), students who had poor social support (AOR = 5.10;95%CI, (2.76-12.92) and moderate social support (AOR = 4.93;95%CI (2.18-11.18), and students who used contraception (AOR = 3.76;95%CI, 2.21-6,40) were statistically significant factors with the outcome variable., Conclusion: The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder was high as compared to other studies. There was a strong link between irregular menstrual cycle, severe menstrual pain (severe dysmenorrhea), poor social support, and contraception use with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. This needs early screening and intervention to prevent the complications and worsening of the symptoms that affect students' academic performance by the institution., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The burden of emergency medical conditions is borne mostly by poorer nations, with a 6 % increase in deaths of adults and children due to emergency conditions between 1990 and 2015. Emergency medical service is crucial to improve outcomes of those injuries and other time-sensitive illnesses. However, access to emergency medical services in Hawassa City is still limited and its' utilization is influenced by different factors., Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 randomly selected clients who visited the emergency service in public hospitals of Hawassa City. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire adapted by reviewing previous literature was used. The collected data by using the Kobo toolbox was exported into a statical package for social science software for analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used. A binary logistic regression model at a 95 % confidence interval was used to declare an association between dependent and independent variables using the odds ratio., Results: All 422 participants completed the interview with a response rate of 100 %. The mean age of the study participants was 33.73 years with a 14.67 standard deviation. One quarter (24.9 % (95 % CI: 21.1-29.4)) of the study participants have utilized emergency medical services. Urban residence (AOR = 3.48, 95 % CI: 1.69-7.16), ever utilized ambulance service (AOR = 2.37, 95%CI: 1.21-4.67), having Red Cross Association ambulance number (AOR = 2.64, 95%CI: 1.20-5.83) and awareness on presence of free government ambulance (AOR = 3.74, 95%CI: 1.46-9.59) were the predictors of the outcome variable., Conclusion: utilization of emergency medical services in the study area was relatively low when compared with other studies. urban residence, ever utilization of ambulance service, awareness of the presence of free government ambulances, and having a Red Cross Association ambulance number were predictors of utilization of emergency medical service., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: The COVID-19 epidemic has put an enormous strain on the world's healthcare systems, lifestyles, and quality of life. Ethiopia attempted to meet the myriad needs of its people due to the COVID-19 epidemic and the government has demonstrated a strong commitment in order to lessen the epidemic's impact on the populace. Despite this fact, the population's compliance with measures was not as needed., Objectives: To assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 transmission, prevention, and self-quarantine management among public employees in selected locations of the Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia, in 2020., Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 01 October to 30 October 2020, among 399 public servants in selected locations of the Sidama Region, Sothern Ethiopia. One-stage cluster sampling was used to randomly select 16 public service sector offices from the total 32 sector offices in the selected locations of the region. Simple random sampling was employed to select respondents following equal distribution of the samples to 16 sector offices. Data were collected using an adapted self-administered questionnaire. Data entered using EpiData version 3.1 and SPSS version 24 were used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to compute frequencies, percentages, and means for independent and dependent variables., Result: Overall, 42.36% of respondents had good knowledge of COVID-19, while the remaining 57.64% had poor knowledge. The percentage of favorable attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and control were 65.2, 54.4% of respondents had a good level of practice of COVID-19 preventive and control measures, and 52.4% of the respondents had a good level of knowledge regarding self-quarantine management., Conclusion: The level of knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-quarantine management in the area is insufficient for preventing and controlling the disease. Evidence-based awareness creation and law enforcement in the study areas and surroundings, with an emphasis on infection prevention and control (IPC) in the public sector and other public gathering areas, is recommended., 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 Borie, Yeheyis, Deribe, Ayalew, Reta, Hoyiso and Jembere.)

Background: People with mental illness (PWMI) have declining health related quality of life (HRQoL), which is frequently equivalent to or greater than that of medical disorders. Although, HRQoL is rapidly being recognized as an essential treatment outcome indicator in modern psychiatry, research on the identification and significance of factors impacting QoL in PWMI is still in its early stages., Objective: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of HRQoL among people with mental illness who underwent outpatient follow-up in Sidama region, southern Ethiopia., Methods: We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study from April-1, to May-30, 2022. A total of 412 participants took part in the study, using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. The HRQoL was measured using the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey-Version 2 (SF-12v2) scale. To describe different variables, descriptive statistics were employed. To find independent HRQoL predictors, we used multivariable linear regression analysis. P -value of <0.05 were declared statistically significant at 95% confidence interval (CI)., Result: Out of 412 participants, nearly two-third 261 (63.3%) were male and nearly half 203 (49.3%) were diagnosed as schizophrenia. HRQoL was positively associated with social support (β = 0.321) and being single (β = 2.680). Conversely, functional disability (β = -0.545), being a student (β = -4.645) and jobless (β = -3.279) by occupation, and being diagnosed with depression (β = -2.839) were negatively impacted HRQoL among PWMI., Conclusion: HRQoL of people with mental disorders in this study was significantly associated to social support, marital status, occupation, diagnosis and level of functional disability. Therefore, the mental health care system should develop HRQoL promoting measures that enhance PWMI functioning, social support and employment., 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 Defar, Abraham, Reta, Deribe, Jisso, Yeheyis, Kebede, Beyene and Ayalew.)

Background: COVID-19 causes immense psychological pressure on communities in addition to physical misery. There is currently a scarcity of data on the psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on Ethiopian healthcare workers (HCWs). Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and its predictors following COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs) in southern Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study design was used among 387 randomly selected HCWs between September 25 and October 25, 2020 at four selected public hospitals in Sidama National Regional State, southern Ethiopia. Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used to collect data post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Logistic regression analyses with 95% CI were used to examine the relationship between independent and outcome variables. Result: The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was found in 56.8% of participants. Significant factors that increase risk of PTSD symptoms were being female (AOR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.19, 3.05), married (AOR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.12, 3.14) and nurses (AOR = 3.31, 95% CI = 1.66, 6.63). On the other hand, HCWs working other than emergency unit such as inpatients/wards (AOR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.24, 0.75), OPD (AOR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.24, 0.97) and other units (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.25, 0.96) less likely to be affected by PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: The current study showed high levels of PTSD symptoms as psychological challenges for HCWs. Sex, age, marital status, type of profession and working environment were significant factors for PTSD symptoms in HCWs during the pandemic. HCWs require mental health support during and after the pandemic., 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 Ayalew, Deribe, Abraham, Reta, Tadesse and Defar.)

Objective: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress and its determinant factors during COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare professionals in southern Ethiopia., Design: Multi-centre cross-sectional study., Setting and Study Period: Randomly selected public hospitals in Sidama, southern Ethiopia between 25 September 2020 and 25 October 2020., Participants: 387 healthcare professionals were randomly selected., Outcome Measures: Prevalence and determinant factors of depression, anxiety and stress was assessed., Result: Depression, anxiety and stress prevalence were shown to be 50.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 45.0% to 55.0%), 55.0% (95% CI 51.1% to 59.9%) and 38.5% (95% CI 33.6% to 43.2%), respectively. Being female (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) 3.71, 95% CI 2.31 to 5.97), married (AOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.34 to 3.86), living alone (AOR 1.87, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.20), nurses (AOR 2.94, 95% CI 1.44 to 5.99) and working in inpatients (AOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.93) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Moreover, older age groups (AOR 3.15, 95% CI 1.04 to 6.56), females (AOR 3.25, 95% CI 2.01 to 5.25), married (AOR 1.69, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.87) and nurses (AOR 3.32, 95% CI 1.63 to 6.78) were significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety. Stress symptoms were significantly high among females (AOR 2.47, 95% CI 1.53 to 3.97), married (AOR 2.77, 95% CI 1.60 to 4.78), living alone (AOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.52), nurses (AOR 2.34, 95% CI 1.11 to 4.92) and working in units other than emergency (inpatient (AOR 0.32, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.57) and other units (AOR 0.48, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.95))., Conclusion: The current study found that healthcare professionals have high levels of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. Sex, age, marital status, type of profession, living status and working environment were significant factors for mental health problems in healthcare professionals during the pandemic. Healthcare professionals require mental health support at which monitoring and control can be performed during and after the pandemic., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The occurrence of depression in patients with schizophrenia (PWS) increases the risk of relapse, frequency and duration of hospitalisation, and decreases social and occupational functioning., Objective: This study aimed to assess prevalence of unrecognised comorbid depression and its determinants in PWS., Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 30 March 2019 at Amanuel mental specialized hospital among 300 PWS. The 9-item Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia was used to assess comorbid depression. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between outcome and explanatory variables. Statistical significance was declared at p value <0.05 with 95% CI., Results: The prevalence of unrecognised comorbid depression was found to be 30.3%. Living alone (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.49, 95% CI=0.45 to 8.36), having poor (AOR=4.43, 95% CI=1.45 to 13.58) and moderate (AOR=4.45, 95% CI=1.30 to 15.22) social support, non-adherence to medication (AOR=3.82, 95% CI=1.70 to 8.55), presenting with current negative symptoms such as asocialia (AOR=4.33, 95% CI=1.98 to 9.45) and loss of personal motivation (AOR=3.46, 95% CI=1.53 to 7.84), and having suicidal behaviour (AOR=6.83, 95% CI=3.24 to 14.41) were the significant predictors of comorbid depression in PWS., Conclusion: This study revealed considerably a high prevalence of unrecognised comorbid depression among PWS. Therefore, clinicians consider timely screening and treating of comorbid depression in PWS., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: People with schizophrenia (PWS) are at greater risk of suicide. However, suicide behaviors that occur in PWS are often overlooked, inadequately characterized, and not consistently integrated into treatment. Despite this burden and consequences in Ethiopia, there is a dearth of studies concerning suicide behavior in PWS. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing the magnitude of suicide behavior and its predictors among PWS in Ethiopia., Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was employed. Data were collected using the structured interviewer-administered questionnaire from a sample of 300 PWS at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital (AMSH). The revised version of Suicide Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ-R) was used to assess suicide behavior in PWS. The data was collected from March 1 to 30, 2019. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of suicidal behavior at 95% confidence level. Statistical significance was declared at p value <0.05., Result: A total of 300 patients with schizophrenia participated in the study. More than two-thirds of 203 (67.7%) of the participants were males, and 116 (38.7%) participants were between the ages of 28 and 37 years. We found that the prevalence of suicide behavior among PWS was 30.3%. Being unemployed (AOR = 3.65, CI = 1.32, 10.05), family history of suicide (AOR = 3.16, CI = 1.38, 7.23), substance use (AOR = 2.51, CI = 1.13, 5.59), current positive psychotic symptoms (hallucination (AOR = 6.39, CI = 2.86, 14.29), and delusion (AOR = 4.15, CI = 1.95, 14.29) and presence of comorbid depression (AOR = 4.81, CI = 1.98, 11.68) were independent significant predictors with suicidal behavior in PWS., Conclusion: The prevalence of suicidal behavior among PWS was found to be high. Hence, designing strategies for early screening and intervention is the most critical prevention strategy of suicide in PWS., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Mohammed Ayalew et al.)

Introduction: Point-of-care (POC) early infant diagnosis (EID) testing has been shown to dramatically decrease turnaround times from sample collection to caregiver result receipt and time to ART initiation for HIV-positive infants compared to centralized laboratory testing. As governments in sub-Saharan Africa implement POC EID technologies, we report on the feasibility and effectiveness of POC EID testing and the impact of same-day result delivery on rapid ART initiation within national programmes across six countries., Methods: This pre-/post-evaluation compared centralized laboratory-based (pre) with POC (post) EID testing in 52 facilities across Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal and Zimbabwe between April 2017 and October 2019 (country-dependent). Data were collected retrospectively from routine records at health facilities for all infants tested under two years of age. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to compare time-to-event outcomes, visualized with Kaplan-Meier curves, and the Somers' D test was used to compare continuous outcomes., Results: Data were collected for 2892 EID tests conducted on centralized laboratory-based platforms and 4610 EID tests on POC devices with 127 (4%) and 192 (4%) HIV-positive infants identified, respectively. POC EID significantly reduced the time from sample collection to caregiver result receipt (POC median: 0 days, IQR: 0 to 0 vs. centralized: 35 days, IQR: 26 to 56) and time from sample collection to ART initiation for HIV-positive infants (POC median: 1 day, IQR: 0 to 7 vs. centralized: 39 days, IQR: 26 to 57). With POC testing, 72% of infants received results on the same day as sample collection; HIV-positive infants with a same-day diagnosis had six times the rate of ART initiation compared to those diagnosed one or more days after sample collection (HR: 6.39; 95% CI: 3.44 to 11.85)., Conclusions: Same-day diagnosis and treatment initiation for infants is possible with POC EID within routine government-led and -supported public sector healthcare facilities in resource-limited settings. Given that POC EID allows for rapid ART initiation, aligning to the World Health Organization's recommendation of ART initiation within seven days, its use in public sector programmes has the potential to reduce overall mortality for infants with HIV through early treatment initiation., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.)

Background: Depression is a common mental disorder among prisoners characterized by a mood change involving a feeling of sadness, lack of interest, or hopelessness that lasts for weeks, months, or even longer. Besides imprisonment, depression is the primary factor leading to suicidal attempts. However, little is known about the depressive status of prisoners in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the magnitude and associated factors of depressive symptoms among prisoners of Debre Berhan prison., Methods: We conducted an institution-based cross-sectional study. We collected data from 336 randomly selected prisoners using interviewer-administered Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We collected the data from May 3 to 28, 2015, and performed binary logistic regression to identify independent predictors of depressive disorder., Result: Out of the total of 336 prisoners, 98% (n = 330) were males. Using PHQ-9 at the cut-off point of ≥5, we found the prevalence of depression to be 44% (n = 148). Being widowed (AOR = 6.30; CI: 1.09-36.67), having a college or university level educational status (AOR = 5.34; CI:1.59-17.94), having a history of suicide attempt (AOR = 2.76 CI: 1.04-7.31), having faced severe stressful life events (AOR = 2.57; CI: 1.41-4.67), being sentenced for 5 to 10 years (AOR = 2.51; CI:1.32-4.79), and having a history of chronic medical illness (AOR = 3.32 CI: 1.26-8.75) were found to be independently associated with depressive symptoms., Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of depression among prisoners of Debre Berhan prison. Hence, designing strategies for early screening and treatment of depression at prisons is crucial., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Stigma towards people with mental illness (PWMI) can result in low self-esteem and isolation and threaten employment. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of public stigma against PWMI and factors associated with it among Jimma town residents., Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in adult residents of Jimma town. Data were collected among 820 randomly selected residents with the interviewer-administered Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of stigma against PWMI., Result: A total of 444 (54%) of the 820 respondents were females, and the mean (SD) age was 35 (8.5) years. The minimum and maximum possible values on each CAMI subscale were 10 and 50, respectively. The respondents had high scores for a stigmatizing attitude towards PWMI across all the subscales, as indicated by the mean (SD) scores: authoritarianism, 27.17 (4.96); social restrictiveness, 32.41 (4.20); benevolence, 35.34 (4.42); and community-based mental health ideology, 33.95 (5.82). Compared to housewives, private organization employees showed more autocratic and socially restrictive views (std. β = 1.12, P<0.01). Single people had a lower social restrictiveness stigma score than married people (std. β = -0.20, P<0.001), and participants' academic levels correlated inversely with the stigma score (std. β = -0.12, P<0.001). A higher benevolence stigma score was observed among participants with no relationship with PWMI than among those with PWMI in their neighborhood (std. β = 0.08, P< 0.046)., Conclusion: The study revealed that a negative attitude towards PWMI is widespread. Therefore, there is a need to develop strategies to fight the stigma attached to PWMI at the community level., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.