Introduction
The novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also called COVID-19 arose in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019, and has a global health threat[1]. COVID-19 outbreak spreads rapidly not only in China, but also worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced it as an outbreak of a new coronavirus disease on January 30, and a pandemic on March 12, 2020 [2]. The COVID-19 pandemic affects all aspects of human life and causes the highest number of deaths, morbidity, and a huge economic, psychological and social impact on the world [3, 4].
Despite different restricted local prevention policies[23-25], high contagion, inherent scientific uncertainties, and imposition of strict quarantine increase patients’ fear and stigma, and discrimination which in turn create barriers to seeking support for appropriate medical treatment and a psychological crisis intervention[5]. College and university students are among the most strongly affected by COVID-19 [6].
During this pandemic period, having mental and psychological problems leads to poor self-care practice, appetite, sleep, immunity status, and compliance to the instructions given by health care provider that exposed them to infectious etiology [7].
Even though single studies were done, no systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of psychological impact of COVID-19 and its associated factors among higher education students (HES) in Ethiopia. Understanding the prevalence and associated factors guides educational institution and policy maker’s area of focus and intervention strategies in order to decrease the impacts of not only COVID-19, but also the any other pandemic for future.
