Depression among nurses working in ministry of health hospitals in RAS AL khaimah united arab emirates

Abstract

Nurses are front line workers in the healthcare services. A heavy workload as a career can leave them overworked and stressed which gives high risk of developing negative mental states like depression. For individuals with depression, the severity of depressive symptoms increases and their ability to function is affected as well. A high standard of nursing care is only possible if nurses can maintain sound physical and mental health. In the United Arab Emirates, there are no published data regarding the prevalence of depression among nurses. Hence, this study sought to identify the prevalence of depression among nurses working in the Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, and to assess the association of demographic variables with the prevalence of depression. The selected MOH hospitals were Saqr Hospital, Ibrahim Bin Hamad Obaidullah Hospital, and Obaidullah Geriatric Hospital. A crosssectional descriptive study design was used and the data was collected from 136 nurses through a self-administered Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The overall prevalence of depression, according to the BDI-II, was 17.6% in the present study, mild depression was 6.6%, moderate depression was 8.8%, and severe depression was 2.2%. Overall results showed that the prevalence of depression among nurses working in the MOHAP hospitals of Ras Al Khaimah were low. A significant association (p<0.05) with nationality, work experience, marital status, and financial dependence of family members of the nurses were found with depression. In order to conclude the prevalence of depression among nurses working in MOHAP hospitals of Ras Al Khaimah, the findings provided useful baseline data for policymakers regarding decisions that can positively affect the health of nurses and patients. Encouraging nurses' mental wellbeing will help optimize patient health outcomes too.