HALIM ELAINE ANWULI

Introduction/Background: Mental health is a critical determinant of academic success, particularly in demanding professional programs like pharmacy. Generalised Anxiety Disorder(GAD), characterised by persistent and uncontrollable worry, is a prevalent and disabling condition globally. University students, especially those in health professions, are recognized as a high-risk group due to academic pressures, transitional challenges, and systemic stressors. In the Nigerian context, these challenges are intensified by institutional constraints and cultural stigma surrounding mental health. Despite this, research is scarce focusing specifically on GAD among pharmacy students in Nigeria, creating a significant gap in understanding and addressing this issue. Objective: The objective of this study to assess the prevalence and severity of Generalized Anxiety Disorder among second-year pharmacy students at the University of Benin. Method: All eligible and consenting participants were included in the study through a census technique. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire comprising a socio-demographic section and the standardised Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item(GAD-7)scale. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)version 27.0, utilizing descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests to determine associations, withap-value of less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The study revealed a high prevalence of anxiety, with 75.5% of students reporting some level of clinically significant symptoms. The distribution of anxiety severity was 32.9%mild, 30.1% moderate, and 12.6% severe. The most common symptoms were “worrying too much about different things,” “feeling nervous, anxious or on edge,” and “not being able to stop or
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control worrying.” A strong majority (75.5%) of students believed that anxiety negatively affected their academic performance. Key contributing stressors included pressure to maintain high grades (72.7%), heavy academic workload (61.5%), and large study materials (51.0%). A statistically significant association was found between gender and anxiety levels, with female students reporting higher levels of moderate anxiety. Help-seeking behaviour was low, withonly18.2% of students having ever sought psychological counselling. A significant association between stress levels and anxiety levels (χ² = 33.8, p < 0.001). Individuals reporting low stress primarily experienced minimal anxiety (76.9%) and those reporting extreme stress showed the highest rates of moderate anxiety (37.5%) and severe anxiety (25.0%). Conclusion: The findings indicate a high burden of generalised anxiety among second-year pharmacy students at the University of Benin, which is significantly intensified by increasing overall stress levels and strongly linked to academic stressors and results in significant self reported functional and academic impairment. There is an urgent need for the institution to implement proactive interventions, including enhanced and accessible counselling services, routine mental health screening, academic policy reforms to reduce workload pressure, and initiatives to destigmatise help-seeking behaviour. Keywords: Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Pharmacy Students, University of Benin, GAD-7Scale, Academic Stress, Mental Health, Prevalence, Nigeria.

Introduction/Background: Mental health is a critical determinant of academic success, particularly in demanding professional programs like pharmacy. Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD), characterized by persistent and uncontrollable worry, is a prevalent and disabling condition globally. University students, especially those in health professions, are recognized as a high-risk group due to academic pressures, transitional challenges, and systemic stressors. Inthe Nigerian context, these challenges are intensified by institutional constraints and cultural stigma surrounding mental health. Despite this, there is a scarcity of research focusing specifically on GAD among pharmacy students in Nigeria, creating a significant gap in understanding and addressing this issue. Objective: The objective of this study to assess the prevalence and severity of Generalised Anxiety Disorder among second-year pharmacy students at the University of Benin. Method: All eligible and consenting participants were included in the study through a census technique. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire comprising a socio-demographic section and the standardized Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item(GAD-7)scale. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)version 27.0, utilizing descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests to determine associations, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The study revealed a high prevalence of anxiety, with 75.5% of students reporting some level of clinically significant symptoms. The distribution of anxiety severity was 32.9%mild, 30.1% moderate, and 12.6% severe. The most common symptoms were “worrying too much about different things,” “feeling nervous, anxious or on edge,” and “not being able to stop or control worrying.” A strong majority (75.5%) of students believed that anxiety negatively affected their academic performance. Key contributing stressors included pressure to maintain high grades (72.7%), heavy academic workload (61.5%), and large study materials (51.0%). A statistically significant association was found between gender and anxiety levels, with female students reporting higher levels of moderate anxiety. Help-seeking behaviour was low, withonly18.2% of students having ever sought psychological counselling. A significant association between stress levels and anxiety levels (χ² = 33.8, p < 0.001). Individuals reporting low stress primarily experienced minimal anxiety (76.9%) and those reporting extreme stress showed the highest rates of moderate anxiety (37.5%) and severe anxiety (25.0%). Conclusion: The findings indicate a high burden of generalised anxiety among second-year pharmacy students at the University of Benin, which is significantly intensified by increasing overall stress levels and strongly linked to academic stressors and results in significant self-reported functional and academic impairment. There is an urgent need for the institution to implement proactive interventions, including enhanced and accessible counselling services, routine mental health screening, academic policy reforms to reduce workload pressure, and initiatives to destigmatise help-seeking behaviour. Keywords: Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Pharmacy Students, University of Benin, GAD-7Scale, Academic Stress, Mental Health, Prevalence, Nigeria