MGHD 2018

Background: The high academic and professional expectations from university programs often put students under pressure and may lead to psychological distress. This project aims to measure the level of psychological distress among college students at Kepler University program, Kigali, in order to provide the administration with recommendations for effective interventions to improve students’ psychological health. Methods: A cross-sectional study design used the General Health Questionnaire GHQ-12 to measure the level of psychological distress among college students at Kepler. The ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board IRB of the School. Descriptive statistics were calculated using Excel and associations between variables were analyzed in Stata 13. Results: Out of 125 students to whom questionnaires were administered, 108 responded and returned the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 85%. The overall percentage of students with psychological distress was 42% (n=44), while 58% (n=62) of respondents had no psychological distress. The proportion of students at risk of developing psychological distress is high. Enjoying dayto- day activities, feeling under stress, and feeling unhappy and feeling depressed were the three most problematic symptoms reported. Unemployed students had a higher risk of developing psychological distress than their employed peers. Conclusion: The school management and counselor in collaboration with the careers department should establish a structured career advisory program to support students have a smooth transition from academic to professional placement and reduce the psychological distress.