Poor mental health among university students has been a cause of concern globally. A previous systematic review indicated that university students have higher rates of depression than the general population [1]. Prevalence of depression or anxiety among health professions’ students have also been reported to be higher than in the general population in resource-constrained settings [2–6] and resource-rich settings [7, 8]. Most of these studies have reported prevalence of depression or anxiety above 35% [1, 2, 4, 5]. The studies have tended to focus on common mental disorders among medical students and have largely ignored university students in other fields. Understanding the burden of psychological morbidity among university and college students is imperative as there is evidence showing that cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness interventions can be effective in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in these groups [9, 10]. Such interventions are particularly useful in resource-limited settings such as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where antidepressants may not be easily available or the appropriate solution.

Factors implicated in psychological morbidity among students include academic pressure, demanding workloads [11], worry about own health [12], financial concerns [13], exposure to patients’ suffering in the case of medical students [14, 15], and student abuse and mistreatment [16].

Psychological distress among students may adversely influence their academic performance and quality of life [17] and may contribute to alcohol and substance abuse, decreased empathy, and academic dishonesty [18]. In light of the risks and consequences of psychological morbidity on students and the remarkable growth in university student numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa within the last 30 years [19], there is a need to understand the prevalence and antecedents of common mental disorders among university students. University/college-based mental health well-being programs and interventions become increasingly imperative as they contribute to prevention and minimization of psychological morbidity. Additionally, there is a need to create supportive environments for students who may be having mental health difficulties during their training. Previous systematic reviews evaluating the prevalence of depressive or anxiety symptoms among health professions’ students have been conducted on studies that were carried out in the USA and Canada [7] and other high-income settings and mainly confined to English-speaking countries [8] focusing on medical students. This review will collate evidence from LMICs with regard to the burden of depression or anxiety among university student populations.

This study protocol is structured in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The PRISMA contains a 27-item checklist which is aimed at facilitating the development and reporting of robust systematic review protocols [20]. The systematic review was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42017064148).

This systematic review will be conducted as the initial step of a longitudinal study on common mental disorders among university students in Zimbabwe. The review aims to explore the prevalence, antecedents, and consequences of depression and anxiety among university students in LMICs. The results from the review will inform and guide health care practitioners and researchers on appropriate and feasible interventions aimed at enhancing the psychological well-being of undergraduate students in resource-constrained settings.