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The purpose of this paper was to assess and compare beliefs about mental illness among pharmacy and non-pharmacy students and to explore its associated factors.

This research was a cross-sectional survey conducted among undergraduate pharmacy and non-pharmacy students of a Nigerian university. The selected participants completed the Belief toward Mental Illness questionnaires after usual class lectures. Descriptive statistics, χ² test, and t-test were used for data analysis. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Overall, pharmacy and non-pharmacy undergraduate students demonstrated negative beliefs about mental illness. There were no substantial differences in beliefs about mental illness among both groups of students. Students’ class, age, visit to a mental hospital and personal experience of mental disorder were significantly associated with beliefs about mental illness.

The generalization of the study findings to other schools of pharmacy in Nigeria is uncertain because this study used convenience sampling technique and was conducted in a single public university. However, the study provides relevant educational opportunities to guide policy makers and university administrators on mental health literacy. Therefore, educational interventions addressing observed gaps in students’ opinions regarding mental illness are recommended.

There appears to be little or no data on the beliefs of undergraduate pharmacy trainees about mental disorders in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

This study aims to determine the prevalence and predictors of postpartum depression (PPD) among nursing mothers in Nsukka, Nigeria.

This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey among nursing mothers in three hospitals in Nsukka, Nigeria. Data was collected using a self-administered Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and sociodemographic form. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and binary logistic regression.

A total of 270 nursing mothers participated in this survey, giving a response rate of 94.4%. The prevalence of PPD among the study group was 20.0%. However, women who did not have complications during childbirth were about two times (AOR = 0.417, 95% CI = 0.204, 0.852, P = 0.016) less likely to develop symptoms of PPD than women who experienced birth complications. In addition, women who had poor relationships with their partners have approximately seven times (AOR = 6.994, 95% CI = 1.110, 44.059, P = 0.038) higher odds of developing PPD compared with those women who had excellent relationships with their partners.

The sample size was small, hence, might limit the generalizability of its findings beyond the study group. Health-care practitioners should provide appropriate interventions to women at a higher risk of developing PPD on the need to maintain a healthy and supportive relationship with their partners.

This study provides unique insight into PPD among nursing mothers and its determinants from a different regional, socioeconomic, societal expectations, social support system, access to health care and cultural context.