Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress and their risk and protective factors among secondary students in Rwanda during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Abstract Background Compelling evidence shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has detrimental effects on the mental health of university students. However, little is known about the psychological distress experienced by students from high schools during the pandemic. This study, therefore, sought to examine the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress and their associated factors among students from high schools in Rwanda. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 students selected from high schools. Data were collected using standardized measures of mental disorders and their associated factors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses based on the odds ratio were used to indicate the associated factors of anxiety, depression, and stress. Results The results indicated that slightly above half of the participants (51%, n = 195) had clinically significant symptoms of depression, 30.3% (n = 116) had stress and 67.3% (n = 259) had anxiety. The most common associated risk factors were domestic violence, the existence of some symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough and myalgia, co-morbidities between depression, anxiety and stress, religion, being female and direct contact with the people who positively tested covid-19. However, awareness of Covid-19, positive mental health, social support, being in the third Ubudehe category, and high resilience score were protective factors against depression, anxiety, and stress in this study sample. Conclusion Our findings highlighted a high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among students from secondary schools. Interestingly, this study also revealed the associated risk and protective factors of depression, anxiety, and stress in Rwandan students in high schools. Therefore, mental health interventions targeting the impact of COVID-19 on students, as young people are needed.