Harmful alcohol use and associated factors among patients with neuropsychiatric disorders in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION

Although a wide range of studies have shown that alcohol use disorder is of significant public health importance, no systematic reviews or meta-analyses have been conducted to assess the pooled prevalence of harmful alcohol use and associated factors among patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the existing evidence on the prevalence of harmful alcohol use and associated factors among patients with neuropsychiatric disorders in Ethiopia.

METHODS

This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the International Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search of published articles was performed using PubMed, Science Direct, African Journals Online, and Google Scholar. The extracted data were exported to STATA version 11 (STATA Corp LLC) for analysis. Heterogeneity between the results of the primary studies was assessed using Cochran's Q chi-square test and quantified with Higgs I2 statistics. Publication bias was assessed by visual inspection of funnel plots and Egger's regression tests.

RESULTS

The pooled prevalence of harmful alcohol use and associated factors among patients with neuropsychiatric disorders in Ethiopia was 34.12% (95% CI: 17.67- 50.56, P < 0.001). Smoking [POR = 5.18, 95% CI: (3.83-7.00)], male sex (POR = 2.33, 95% CI: 0.54- 10.55), perceived stress (POR = 4.30, 95% CI: 2.60- 7.12), being single (POR = 3.17, 95% CI: 1.59- 6.33), a family history of alcoholism (POR = 1.90, 95% CI: 0.72, 5.05) and a duration of illness greater than 5 years (POR = 2.44, 95% CI 0.94, 6.34) were factors associated with harmful alcohol use and associated factors among patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.

CONCLUSION

According to the current review, harmful alcohol use is highly prevalent among patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. Being male, smoking, experiencing perceived stress, being single, having a family history of alcoholism and having a longer duration of illness were the factors associated with harmful alcohol use.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42024573994.