Abstract
bjectives:To evaluate life events, levels of anxiety and depression among doctors and nurses in the emergency department (ED). Design:An anonymous self-reported survey was employed from January 2013 to April 2013 that included Life Event Scale (LES), Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and other Likert-style questions. Participants:A total sample of 412 participants (124 doctors and 288 nurses) from department of emergency in eleven grade-3 and grade-2 general hospitals in Hunan Province, China was involved in this study. Results:Both doctors and nurses from ED experienced more negative life events than positive life events (mean total score: 14.13 VS. 6.41). Among all family, work and social life events, high pressures of work as negative life event was the most frequently reported one. 6.34% (5.65% in doctors and 6.60% in nurses) suggestive anxiety symptoms and 17.73% (14.5% in doctors and 18.8% in nurses) suggestive depression symptoms were reported among them. Negative, but not positive, life events correlated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Doctors experienced much more work related negative events than nurses did. However, nurses showed higher levels of anxiety and depression that that of doctors. Conclusion:These findings suggest doctors and nurses from emergency department experienced much more negative life events than positive life events, and those negative life events, especially work related negative events, may have harmful impact on their mental health (risk for depression and anxiety). Development of a range of coping strategies for decreasing the harmful effects of those negative life events and minimizing or controlling the occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms should be emphasized for doctors and nurses who work in a hospital’s emergency department
Highlights
The term stress, which have been introduced into the health sciences in 1926 by Hans Selye, refers to a state characterized by a uniform response pattern, regardless of the particular stressor, that could lead to long-term pathologic changes [1]
Development of a range of coping strategies for decreasing the harmful effects of those negative life events and minimizing or controlling the occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms should be emphasized for doctors and nurses Journal of Psychiatry and Brain Science 2016,1(1);2; DOI:10.20900/jpbs.20160002; April 25, 2016
Stress has often been conceptualized as major life events that are disrupting normal activities and often requiring adaptive responses, and as daily life events that are defined as the problems, difficulties, and challenges that people experience during extended periods of time in their daily lives [2]
Summary
The term stress, which have been introduced into the health sciences in 1926 by Hans Selye, refers to a state characterized by a uniform response pattern, regardless of the particular stressor, that could lead to long-term pathologic changes [1]. The chronic stressors, such as environmental and psychosocial stressors, are associated with physiological, psychological, and behavioral responses. Stressful life events have been associated with the onset of generalized anxiety disorder [10] and number of episodes and depression severity [11]. Spinhoven et al found that specific adverse life events, both in early life and adulthood were associated with anxiety and depressive disorders, and with a higher comorbidity of affective disorders [12]
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