AUTHOR=Kassa Mulat Awoke , Anbesaw Tamrat , Nakie Girum , Melkam Mamaru , Azmeraw Molla , Semagn Elsabet Gezmu , Abate Biruk Beletew 

TITLE=Investigating war trauma, its effects, and associated risk factors on anxiety among high school students in Woldia town, northeast Ethiopia, 2022

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1368285

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1368285

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Background: Anxiety symptoms are the most frequent mental health problems in the world, and it is a serious public health concern especially in adolescents because if left untreated, adolescent anxiety can have a number of detrimental effects, including lower academic results, a lack of relation-ship with friends and family, substance addiction, thoughts of suicide and homicide, trouble finding work. While this vulnerability is the concerning in all situations, they are particularly critical in armed conflict areas. Ethiopia is one of the recently war residing countries, but to the best of our understandings, there were limited studies done involved in adolescents of this war affected country, so this study assessed experiencing war, trauma and its effects on anxiety symptoms of high school students in Woldia town, Ethiopia.We assessed the experience of war, trauma and its effect on anxiety among high school students and associated risk factors of war-affected area at Woldia town, Northeast, Ethiopia.Methods: Cross-sectional study design was conducted from May 23 to June 08, 2022. Data were collected from high school students in Woldia town. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify the independent factors associated with anxiety.Results: A total of 624 of the 660 students participated in the study (94.5% response rate). The prevalence of anxiety among high school students in Woldia town was 39.7%. In the multivariable analysis, having depression (AOR =9.24, 95 % CI: 6.27, 13.64), witnessing the murder of family/friends (AOR = 1.93, 95 % CI: 1.05, 3.57), being female sex (AOR=1.59, 95 % CI: 1.08, 2.36) and having family history of mental illness (AOR=1.69, 95 % CI: 1.00, 2.85) were factors significantly associated with anxiety.The prevalence of anxiety in this study was around two in five of high school students. Therefore, we recommend that Ministry of Education shall work with Ministry of Health to extend and implement mental health services in high schools and to promote the wellbeing of students for the prevention of anxiety.