Stress, Anxiety, and Depression among Nursing Students at a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Karnataka, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Nursing students are valuable human resources in the health profession. During their student life, they face a great deal of stress, which can negatively affect their mental and physical health, as well as their academic performance. However, there is limited evidence regarding stress, anxiety, and depression among nursing students in Karnataka, India. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among nursing students and determine the factors associated with these conditions amongst them. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Department of Community Medicine, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysuru from March 2022 to August 2022, involving 200 undergraduate nursing students. The study included nursing students from the 1st year to the 4th year. Data was obtained using a predesigned and pretested questionnaire consisting of two parts: the first part collected details on sociodemographic and academic parameters, and the second part assessed psychological parameters using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS) 21 Scale. Data were entered into an excel spreadsheet and presented as frequencies and percentages using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 24.0. Factors associated with stress, anxiety, and depression were analysed using the Chi-square test, with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 200 nursing students participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 20.22 years, with a standard deviation of 1.42. A total of 39 students (19.5%) reported moderate stress, while 26 (13%) reported severe to extremely severe stress. Approximately 35 (25%) participants experienced moderate to severe depression. Among the participants, 63 (31.5%) reported moderate anxiety, while 78 (39%) reported severe to extremely severe levels of anxiety. Factors such as academic year, lack of time for leisure activities, financial crisis in the family, and addiction to internet use were significantly associated with stress (p<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was high among nursing students in the study. These statistics can help nursing educators understand the challenges faced by nursing students and assist in promoting the quality of clinical practice.