The prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder among adolescents in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The rates of prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in Ethiopia were high and inconsistent across studies. However, there was no previous systematic reviews and meta-analysis conducted on this topic. Therefore, this review aimed to systematically review previous studies on the topic and summarize the prevalence of PMDD among students in Ethiopia and formulate recommendations for future clinical services. The preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were used to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis. Popular databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, Psych-INFO, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online (AJOL) were searched for relevant studies. We used a Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software version 3.0 (CMA-3.0) to conduct a meta-analysis. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. The magnitude of statistical heterogeneity between the eligible articles was checked by Cochrane Q and the I2 statistics. The funnel plot and Egger’s regression tests were used to assess potential publication bias. A total of 12 studies that were published between 2003 and 2019 was included in our systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled estimated prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder among female students in Ethiopia was 54.5% (95% CI 40.8–67.6). The pooled estimated prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder was approximately similar for both studies that recruited study participants from either high school or higher education. Further, the pooled estimated prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder was ranging from 51.2 to 57.2% in leave-one-out sensitivity analysis, suggesting that the removal of one study did not affect the overall prevalence estimate. The pooled estimated prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder among female students in Ethiopia was high. Early screening and appropriate interventions at primary healthcare settings are warranted.