Prevalence of depression in working nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is one of the most common mental disorders with approximately 15-25% life time prevalence rate. Depression causes marked impairments in personal, social and occupational functioning. Thus, it should be recognized, prevented or treated as soon as possible. The health professionals are not immune to this illness too and there are some evidences that indicate physicians and nurses are at higher risk for depression than other professions. Occupational stressors may be a causative factor and depression in these groups may induce serious damage to patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, nurses who worked in a large hospital in Isfahan were evaluated by "Beck" depression questionnaire.

Results: The results indicated that %33 of nurses were moderately to severely depressed (Beck scores >8). Mean age group for depressed nurses was 35-45 years and there was a negative relationship between educational level and occurrence of depression. No meaningful relationship was found between depression and sex of nurses.

Conclusion: Results of this study suggested a high prevalence of depression in working nurses. So, it seems that some psychological interventions may be beneficial in order to prevent or treat depression in this group of health care professionals.