Investigating psychological distress level and its association with demographic characteristics in nurses

Özet

Objectives: Nursing is a highly stressful profession due to the long hours, workload, and extreme physical and psychological demands it places on individuals and their families. Research has shown that nurses, as compared to physicians, experience less social support and job security, and that their roles are not socially recognized. This study aimed to identify the level of distress by demographic characteristics of Iranian nurses working at various hospitals in Zanjan, Iran in 2019. Methods: This descriptive correlational study targeted 264 nurses working at various hospitals in Zanjan, Iran in 2019. The random cluster sampling method was used for sample selection, and for data collection, a demographic and social characteristics form and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale were used. Data were analyzed with SPSS statistical software (version 21), which was used to perform student's t-test and ANOVA. Results: The results from calculation of the nurses’ mean score indicated that their psychological distress was at a moderate level (25.15±8.77). Gender, marital status and type of employment significantly corresponded with the nurses’ levels of psychological distress (p<0.05). Furthermore, there was a significant negative relationship between age and work experience with psychological distress among the nurses (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings derived from this study indicate that a majority of the nurses had some degree of psychological distress, which negatively affected the quality of health care they provided. Thus, appropriate steps, like in-service training for stress management, should be taken to ensure the psychological and physical health of Iranian nurses.