Comparison of prevalence of mental distress, help-seeking behaviour of undergraduates in public and private Universities in Osun State, Nigeria

Objective: Mental distress is prevalent and increasing in tertiary institutions. This study compared the prevalence of mental distress and help-seeking behaviour among undergraduates in public and private universities in Osun State, Nigeria. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 910 respondents in one public and one private university of Osun State, using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected with pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 22. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted with a level of statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institute of Public Health Obafemi Awolowo University. Results: The mean age and standard deviation for public university students was 20.74 ± 2.19 years and 19.02 ± 2.27 years for private university students (p<0.001). The prevalence of mental distress was 40.4% in the public university and 43.6% in the private university (p=0.324). All respondents with mental distress in both universities sought help in the preceding 12 months. Respondents in both institutions commonly sought informal sources of help from parents and friends. A significantly higher proportion of respondents in the private university (62.9%) sought help from formal sources in the 12 months prior to the study compared with respondents in the public university (37.1%) (p=0.012). Conclusion: The prevalence of mental distress is high in both universities with informal sources of help- seeking frequently reported. There is a need for university authorities to promote professional help-seeking in these universities.