SynthesisBMC public health2025
Burden of perceived stress among university students in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Comparative effects of exercise modalities on depression, anxiety, and stress in university students: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Teaching staff as gatekeepers for student mental health in higher education: findings from an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study on mental health promotion, psychological crises, and stigma.International journal of mental health systems · 2026Article
- Mapping the Healthiness of Campus Food Environments in Nigeria: In-Store Retail and Outdoor Advertising Assessments at Selected Universities-The NigeFE Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Emotional and Uncontrolled Eating as Mediators Between Perceived Stress and Adiposity Indicators in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Associations among authenticity-related strain, self-concept clarity, emotional suppression, and psychological distress in Chinese students.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Not all distress is the same: profiles of stress, anxiety, and depression among university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Mapping the Multidimensional Stress Burden in Nursing Students: A Systematic Review and Instrument-Specific Meta-Analysis.Nursing research and practice · 2026Review
- Anxiety towards research and associated factors among postgraduate students of Jimma University Institute of Health, southwest Ethiopia.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPerceived stress is a significant public health problem among university students. It has wide-ranging effects on university students that can negatively influence their general mental health well-being and academic achievement. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the overall pooled magnitude of perceived stress and its contributing factors among university students.
methodsThe relevant primary studies were retrieved using numerous search databases, such as PubMed, Psychiatry Online, EMBASE, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, African Journal Online, and Science Direct. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were used to write the report of the current study. We extracted and analyzed data using standardized data extraction checklists and STATA version 14 statistical software, respectively. The quality of the included primary articles was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tool. To check the presence of statistical heterogeneity among the included papers, the I-squared statistics test was employed. Publication bias was checked using a funnel plot and the Egger test. The pooled prevalence of perceived stress and its determinants was estimated using a random-effects meta-analysis.
resultsA total of 26 primary articles with 7828 university students were included in the current systematic review and meta-analysis. The overall combined prevalence of perceived stress among university students in Africa was 64.72% (95% CI: 54.58, 74.87). The findings of this study revealed that sleep problems (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.94, 2.71) and financial difficulties (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.54, 2.52) were contributing factors significantly associated with perceived stress.
conclusionThe current meta-analysis showed that nearly two-thirds of university students in Africa experienced perceived stress. Therefore, the results of the present review recommend that educational institutions and policymakers should give more attention to this population by providing stress reduction and mental health promotion programs. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.