title: Prevalence of severe mental distress and its correlates in a population-based study in rural south-west Uganda.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The problem of severe mental distress (SMD) in sub-Saharan Africa is difficult to investigate given that a substantial proportion of patients with SMD never access formal health care.This study set out to investigate SMD and it's associated factors in a rural population-based cohort in south-west Uganda.
  
  
  METHODS
  6,663 respondents aged 13 years and above in a general population cohort in southwestern Uganda were screened for probable SMD and possible associated factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  0.9% screened positive for probable SMD. The factors significantly associated with SMD included older age, male sex, low socio-economic status, being a current smoker, having multiple or no sexual partners in the past year, reported epilepsy and consulting a traditional healer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SMD in this study was associated with both socio-demographic and behavioural factors. The association between SMD and high risk sexual behaviour calls for the integration of HIV prevention in mental health care programmes in high HIV prevalence settings.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute, Uganda Research Unit on AIDS, Entebbe, Uganda. Eugene.Kinyanda@mrcuganda.org
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kinyanda
authors.forename: Laban
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Waswa
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baisley
authors.forename: Dermot
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology