Psychological wellbeing and risk of anxiety/depression in nursing students measured with the General Health Questionnaire-12

Abstract

Psychological wellbeing and risk of anxiety/depression in nursing students, measured with the General Health Questionnaire-12. Introduction. Psychological wellbeing facilitates the learning performance while emotional problems such as anxiety/depression limit it and may impact on future professional practice. To assess the prevalence of anxiety/depression in nursing students in Rome, at the beginning of the annual course. An observational study was conducted administering the 12 items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to 601 students at the beginning of the annual course. Students were labeled at risk for anxiety and depression with GHQ-12 scores >5. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated to anxiety and depression. Thirty-four per cent (39% of the females) of the students were at risk for anxiety/depression. The risk was higher for female students (OR=2.9; 95%CI 1.6-5.2; p<0.001), in those unsatisfied with the academic results (OR 2.3; 95%CI 1.4-3.9; p=0.002) and with their general health status (OR=0.4; 95%CI 0.3-0.7; p≤0.001). The risk for anxiety and depression is high among nursing students, especially for females. A screening since the first year would help to identify subject at risk that could benefit from specific interventions.