Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 39 | Published: 07 Oct 2026
Eunice Quansah1, George Wak1, Leonard Edem Quarshie2,&
1School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, 2Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Leonard Edem Quarshie, Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, Email: lequarshie06@gmail.com
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026 Published: 07 Oct 2026
Domain: Mental Health
Keywords: Anxiety symptoms, tertiary students, coping strategies, mental health support, counselling
©Eunice Quansah et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Eunice Quansah et al., Self-reported anxiety symptoms, coping strategies, and access to mental health support among tertiary students in Hohoe Municipality, Ghana. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):39. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0039
Anxiety-related experiences are an important mental health concern among tertiary students, who may face academic, social, financial, and lifestyle pressures. However, limited evidence exists on self-reported anxiety experiences, coping strategies, and access to mental health support among students in smaller tertiary institutions in Hohoe Municipality. This study assessed self-reported anxiety symptoms, coping strategies, access to mental health support, and factors associated with reported anxiety among tertiary students in Hohoe Municipality.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 tertiary students from four institutions in Hohoe Municipality. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, experiences of anxiety symptoms, coping strategies, and access to mental health support. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression to examine factors associated with reported anxiety symptoms.
Overall, 71.2% of participants reported having experienced anxiety symptoms, while 17.6% reported having previously received a formal diagnosis. Social support and exercise were commonly reported coping strategies, although some participants reported using avoidance and substance use. Approximately 70.2% reported having access to counselling services, although utilisation was reported to be limited. Factors including age, marital status, parental loss, workload, peer influence, and lifestyle pressures were associated with reported anxiety symptoms.
Self-reported anxiety symptoms were commonly reported among tertiary students in Hohoe Municipality. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening mental health awareness, promoting healthy coping strategies, and improving access to and utilisation of counselling and other mental health support services in tertiary institutions.
Menu