Prevalence of perceived stress in nursing staff: A hospital based study

Pages: 303-306
Suresh Kumar Mehta (Department of Psychiatry, Pacific Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan)
Bhakti Murkey (Department of Psychiatry, Pacific Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan)
Bharat Pateedar (Nursing Superintendent, Pacific Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, Rajasthan)

Occupational stress is a common phenomenon in healthcare sector, including the nursing staff working in hospital settings. Work-stress can not only affect the physical and mental health, but also adversely affect their quality of work and productivity. This study aims at assessing the prevalence of depression, anxiety and perceived stress in nurses working at a hospital in Udaipur city, Rajasthan, India. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 200 nurses from Pacific Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur. Structured questionnaire of Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) was administered to assess depression, anxiety and perceived stress in the population. The scores were analyzed using the SPSS 26.0 software. Upto 44% of participants reported experiencing some level of depression, anxiety or perceived stress. The level of anxiety and stress perceived by nurses decreased significantly with increasing age (p< 0.0001). Female nurses reported significantly higher levels of depression as compared to males (p=0.002). Nurses face considerable stress at work-place which amounts to them experiencing symptoms of depression and/ or anxiety, owing to perceived stress levels. Their symptoms have a varied presentation based on the age as well as gender of the nurse.