The Devastating Impact of University Closures on theMental Health of Universityof Khartoum Students: A Quantitative Exploration

Prolonged University Closures and Mental Health Outcomes Among University of Khartoum Students | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Prolonged University Closures and Mental Health Outcomes Among University of Khartoum Students Mona Suliman This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5903008/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Prolonged university closures represent a major disruption to higher education systems, particularly in conflict affected settings. This study examines the association between prolonged university closures and mental health outcomes among students at the University of Khartoum within a context of political instability, economic collapse, and armed conflict. A quantitative cross sectional survey was conducted among 500 undergraduate students using validated instruments to assess stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression models to identify key predictors of psychological distress. The findings reveal high prevalence rates of stress, anxiety, and depression, with a substantial proportion of students also reporting suicidal ideation. Duration of university closures showed strong positive associations with all mental health outcomes and remained a significant predictor after controlling for demographic and contextual factors. Financial strain, social isolation, and academic disruption also contributed significantly to psychological distress. The results indicate that prolonged university closures function as chronic stressors that place students at elevated mental health risk. These findings highlight the need for crisis responsive mental health support, flexible academic policies, and emergency education strategies that protect student wellbeing alongside academic continuity in conflict affected higher education systems. university closures mental health higher education conflict affected settings University of Khartoum Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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