Abstract
BackgroundDepression is a debilitating mental health condition which affects an estimated 350 million people worldwide annually. Nurses are twice as likely to suffer from depression than professionals in other professions. This leads to a considerable loss of efficiency and productivity. We sought to determine the prevalence and predictors of depression among nurses in Cameroon.MethodsCross-sectional analysis carried out over 6 months (January – June 2018) using nurses from public and private healthcare institutions sampled consecutively in the two English-speaking regions (North west and South west regions) of Cameroon. The nurses were handed a structured, printed, self-administered questionnaire to fill and hand in at their earliest convenience. Depression and burnout were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory respectively.ResultsA total of 143 nurses were recruited (mean age: 29.75 ± 6.55 years; age range: 20–55 years, 32.87% male). The overall prevalence of depression was 62.24%. Independent predictors of depression after multivariable analysis were: Number of night shifts a week (adjusted odds ratio: 1.58; p value: 0.045, 95% CI; 1.01, 2.48) and Total Oldenburg Burnout Inventory score (adjusted odds ratio: 1.21, p value: 0.001; 95% CI; 1.08, 1.35). Recreational drug use was also found to perfectly predict the outcome – depression.ConclusionDepression is highly prevalent among nurses in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. Accurate predictors could prove vital for early detection and management of affected individuals. Predictors presented herein require further investigation via multicentric nationwide studies, to obtain more generalizable results.
Highlights
Depression is a debilitating mental health condition which affects an estimated 350 million people worldwide annually
Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide as individuals with this mental health condition usually have low moods, disturbed sleep, negative feelings about life in general and anhedonia; which could lead to decrease efficiency [1,2,3]
About 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide annually with nurses being twice as likely to suffer from depression than professionals in other fields [1, 3, 4]
Summary
Depression is a debilitating mental health condition which affects an estimated 350 million people worldwide annually. Depression is a major cause of disability worldwide as individuals with this mental health condition usually have low moods, disturbed sleep, negative feelings about life in general and anhedonia; which could lead to decrease efficiency [1,2,3]. Burnout syndrome is a psychological state of emotional exhaustion and disengagement from work due to prolonged exposure to work environment stressors [11, 12]. It is usually described as a reaction to severe stress associated with individuals in “helping professions” [13]. An individual with negative ideas about their profession will not necessarily have negative thoughts about life in general
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