Nearly two-thirds of university students in Africa experience stress, with Sudanese students the most severely affected, according to a study that also focuses on some of the measures that higher education institutions can adopt to support students’ mental health and academic performance.
The study, titled ‘Burden of perceived stress among university students in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis’, published in BMC Public Health this July demonstrates “the overall combined magnitude of perceived stress and its predictors among university students”.
It was authored by Setegn Fentahun, Gidey Rtbey, Girum Nakie, Fantahun Andualem, Techilo Tinsae, Getasew Kibralew, Getachew Tesfaw, Tigist Kifle, Mulualem Kelebie and Gebresilassie Tadesse from the Institute of Public Health based at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia.
The study said that there “is a dearth of representative pooled data” regarding the prevalence of perceived stress among African university students, which is why the research could be “crucial” for mental health professionals, educators, and policymakers to establish focused interventions aimed at lowering stress and enhancing students’ academic performance and general well-being.
Students’ stress levels
Using a total of 26 primary articles, based on studies conducted in eight African countries, the systematic review and meta-analysis, which used several databases, showed that the overall combined prevalence of perceived stress among the 7,828 university students included in the study was 64.72%.This was comparable with previous studies conducted in Thailand, the Middle East and North Africa.
According to the study, the similarity in the findings across regions can be explained because academic pressure, performance-related concerns, workload, and worries regarding future job opportunities, are common primary sources of students’ perceived stress.
“However, African higher education students frequently encounter additional structural difficulties that could contribute to increased stress, including frequent political instability that affects the educational system, overcrowded classrooms, financial difficulties, and inadequate counselling services,” the study explained.
Furthermore, the study said, a possible reason for the observed higher prevalence of perceived stress in university students in general might be related to the nature of higher education.
In this context, students are being faced with a variety of shifting circumstances, such as adjusting to an unfamiliar environment away from home, the cost of education and financial strain because of a lack of income, shifts in social networks including new relationships, handling autonomy for the first time, and being forced to manage the academic obligations of university.
Why different countries’ students experience HE differently
The study found that the highest overall pooled prevalence of perceived stress was observed in Sudanese university students, followed by Tunisia and Uganda, and the lowest combined perceived stress was detected in Ethiopian university students, followed by Nigeria and Egypt.
Sudanese university students have encountered persistent economic and political instability, disturbances in the higher education system, financial constraints, and inadequate availability of mental health services.
In March 2025, University World News also reported on a study which indicated that university students in the war-torn regions of Sudan experience high levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to the ongoing armed conflict since mid-April 2023.
According to the study, differences in the perceived stress levels of students across the continent could be attributed to variations in sample size, socio-economic differences, and cultural variation in African countries.
Differences in teaching strategies, grading systems and curriculums, as well as disparities in the availability of resources among African universities, may also be a reason for differences across the continent as students may feel more stressed when they have inadequate access to counselling services, academic support, or sufficient infrastructure, according to the study.
Reasons for students’ perceived stress
In addition to the changing circumstances of students, which contribute to perceived stress levels, lifestyle factors also emerged as challenges.
The study added that university students also frequently have poor eating habits, little exercise, and irregular sleep schedules. Problems with sleep were highlighted by the researchers. Notably, stress levels increased by 2.29 times for participants who struggled to sleep.
University students who experience sleep problems may become even more stressed since inadequate sleep can result in a prolonged disrupted sleep cycle, which affects learning, mental health and cognitive function, according to the study.
The meta-analysis also showed that students with financial problems were 1.58 times more likely to experience perceived stress, which can impair academic achievement, and have a detrimental impact on a student’s emotional and physical health.
What can be done?
Based on the findings, the study put forward several measures to deal with the stress levels students in Africa appear to be dealing with.
The researchers called upon universities, stakeholders, and policymakers in the higher education context in Africa to work collaboratively to establish conditions that promote students’ academic achievement and general well-being.
“It is also crucial that universities provide focused stress-reduction programmes such as online counselling services, which would give students easily available support – particularly for those who have busy schedules and are embarrassed to ask for help in person – and develop peer support groups in which students can exchange stress-related experiences and coping mechanisms,” the study said.