Perceived stress and its associated factors among people living in post-war Districts of Northern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: War and conflict environments result in long-term physical and psychological consequences. Sexual violence, displacement, malnutrition, death, illness, injury, torture, and disability are some of the physical effects, whereas stress, depression, aggressive behaviors, and anxiety are some of the emotional complications of war. Hence, evidence-based interventions are required particularly to monitor mental health disorders. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of perceived stress and its associated factors among people living in post-war situations, Northern Ethiopia. METHOD: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 812 samples from April 1 to May 15, 2022. The study participants were selected using a multistage sampling technique. The data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured and pre-tested tool. Data were cleaned and entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and transferred to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify determinants of perceived stress. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit was applied to test for model fitness and a p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT: The prevalence of perceived stress was 76.1%, 95% CI (72.9-78.8). Age above 45 years (AOR (CI) = 2.45 (1.07-5.62), poor educational level (AOR (CI) = 5.92 (2.36-14.8), large family size (AOR (CI) = 0.48 (0.31-0.74), alcohol consumption (AOR (CI) = 0.63 (0.42-0.94), smoking (AOR (CI) = 0.17 (0.06-0.56), and exposure to multiple traumatic events (AOR (CI) = 2.38 (1.23-4.62) have shown a statistically significant association with perceived stress. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that more than three-fourths of participants living in post-war settings were found to have perceived stress. Older age, poor level of education, large family size, alcohol consumption, smoking, and the number of traumatic events were significant associates of perceived stress. Psychotherapy that can effectively address the medical, social, and psychological well-being of the community is important to reduce the burden of perceived stress.

Determinants of maternal near-miss among women admitted to public hospitals in North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia: A case-control study.

Background: A maternal near-miss (MNM) refers to a woman who presents with life-threatening complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy but survived by chance or due to the standard care she received. It is recognized as a valuable indicator to examine the quality of obstetrics care as it follows similar predictors with maternal death. Ethiopia is one of the sub-Saharan African countries with the highest rate of maternal mortality and morbidity. Thus, studying the cause and predictors of maternal near-miss is vital to improving the quality of obstetric care, particularly in low-income countries. Objective: To identify determinants of maternal near-miss among women admitted to public hospitals in North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia, 2020. Methods: A facility-based unmatched case-control study was conducted on 264 women (88 cases and 176 controls) from February to April 2020. Data were collected using pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires and a review of medical records. Data were entered into Epi-data version 4.2.2 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Variables with a p-value <0.25 in the bivariable analysis were further analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Finally, variables with a p-value <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Result: Severe pre-eclampsia (49.5%) and postpartum hemorrhage (28.3%) were the main reasons for admission of cases. Educational level of women (AOR = 4.80, 95% CI: 1.78-12.90), education level of husbands (AOR = 5.26; 95% CI: 1.46-18.90), being referred from other health facilities (AOR = 4.73, 95% CI: 1.78-12.55), antenatal care visit (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.13-6.72), cesarean section (AOR = 3.70, 95% CI: 1.42-9.60), and medical disorder during pregnancy (AOR = 12.06, 95% CI: 2.82-51.55) were found to significantly increase the risk of maternal near-miss. Whereas, the younger age of women significantly decreased the risk of maternal near miss (AOR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.09-0.75). Conclusion: Age, educational level, antenatal care follow-ups, medical disorder during pregnancy, mode of admission, and mode of delivery were significant predictors of maternal near-miss. Socio-demographic development, use of ANC services, early detection and management of medical diseases, reducing cesarean section, and improving the referral systems are crucial to minimizing the maternal near-miss.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder among Children Aged 6-17 Years in North Eastern Ethiopia.

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the public neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impulsivity and restlessness or hyperactivity. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and its associated factors among children aged 6 to 17 years in Shewa Robit town, Northeastern Ethiopia, 2020. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 365 children aged 6-17 years from Feb 1-March 30, 2020, at Shewa Robit town. Systematic random sampling was employed to select study participants. Data were collected by interview using structured and pretested questionnaires. Finally, data was entered using Epi-data 4.2 and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify associated factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Odds ratios with 95% CI were calculated, and variables having a p-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Result: The prevalence of ADHD among children aged 6 to 17 years was 13%. Financial crises [AOR 4.76(95% CI 1.51-15.05)], children a previous history of the mental problem [AOR 8.45(95% CI 1.24-57.43)], C/S delivery [AOR 6.38(95% CI 1.26-32.26)] and substance use in life [AOR 2.43(95% CI 1.09-5.43)] were significantly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Conclusion: The prevalence of ADHD in children 6 to 17 years old was high (13%). Financial crises, children's history of mental disorders, C/S delivery, and lifetime substance use were significantly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, particular attention should be given to mothers and children with significant factors.