ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2024
The burden and its determinants of mental health distress among adolescents dwelling in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Acceptability and feasibility of the Ushirikiano treatment model for Kenyan adolescents: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Suicide literacy in The Gambia.Discover mental health · 2026Review
- Evaluating the technical efficiency of primary health facilities in delivering adolescent mental, sexual and reproductive health services in Burkina Faso.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- School protective factors and adolescent mental health in Nigeria: an investigation of cumulative effects, buffering mechanisms, and gender differences.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Prevalence and correlates of probable anxiety and depression among young people: A subnational cross-sectional study in Ghana.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Illness explanatory models of depression among young people in low-resource settings: A qualitative study in Ghana and Zimbabwe.PloS one · 2026Article
- A study on the correlations between parent-child interaction, school adaptation type, and adolescent mental health.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Association of pre-adolescent adverse childhood experiences with adolescent cholesterol levels: findings from the A-CHILD longitudinal study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The political economy of adolescent mental health in Kenya.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
- The Nexus of HIV, substance abuse, and mental health among adolescents in Zambia (2021-2023).Journal of public health in Africa · 2025Article
- Suicidal behaviour, depression and generalized anxiety and associated factors among female and male adolescents in Mozambique in 2022-23.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2024Article
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12 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundAdolescent mental health issues are emerging as a significant public health concern across many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa. This study aims to evaluate the aggregated prevalence and contributing risk factors of mental health distress among adolescents in Africa. METHODOLOGY: A comprehensive search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and HINARI databases was conducted to identify relevant articles on the prevalence and risk factors associated with mental health distress among African adolescents, published up to December 2023. The quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Heterogeneity among the studies was evaluated using the I² statistical test. Potential publication bias was assessed through a funnel plot and Egger's statistical test. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO under reference number CRD42023494665.
resultsEighteen studies encompassing data from 37,016 adolescents were included in the analysis. The overall prevalence of mental health distress among adolescents in Africa was found to be 27.34% (95% CI: 23.18-31.50). The occurrence of mental health distress is observed in older adolescents at a prevalence of 29.44% (95% CI: 23.26-35.66) and in younger adolescents at 24.73% (95% CI: 11.96-37.51). Significant risk factors identified included bullying victimization, with an odds ratio (POR) of 1.30 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.46), and experiencing hunger, with an odds ratio (POR) of 2.10 (95% CI: 1.13, 3.91).
conclusionThe findings indicate a high prevalence of mental health distress among adolescents in Africa, highlighting the widespread impact on this demographic. These results underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to prevent and address mental health distress among adolescents. Further research on a global scale is essential to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies tailored to this age group.
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