Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Workplace Stressors among Nurses in Tertiary Health Care Settings.

Abstract

Background:Chronic job stress adversely impacts both mental health of nurses and patient care. There is paucity of data regarding workplace stressors and negative emotions among nurses.Aims:To assess depression, anxiety and stress among nurses and analyse their association with workplace stressors.Settings and Design:A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in two tertiary care hospitals.Methods and Material:Four hundred and thirty one nurses completed nurses rated depression, Anxiety and Stress instrument (DASS-21) and a questionnaire probing perceived workplace stressors on a 4 point Likert scale . The stressors across subgroups of workareas were compared.Satistical Analysis:Association between stress, anxiety or depression and workplace stressors were analysed using binary logistic regression.Results:50.8% of nurses had stress; 74% had anxiety; 70.8% had depression. 79.1% had at least one of them. Stressed, anxious or depressed nurses were more concerned about lack of job satisfaction and conflicts with supervisors. Work-place stressors varied with work areas: private hospital, no job satisfaction, conflicts with doctors and patients; government hospital, acquiring infectious diseases; ICUs, inadequate salary; non-ICUs, odour and sounds in workplace and conflicts with patients.Conclusions:Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was high. Workplace stressors varied across different working areas. Interventions need are to be tailored accordingly.