Depression, Anxiety and Stress among nursing officers in a dedicated hospital for COVID patients in Sri Lanka: A Single Institute Experience

The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression, among nurses working in a tertiary hospital dedicated to the COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was carried out among nurses working at Colombo East Base Hospital. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and DASS-21, a set of three self-report scales designed to measure the negative emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress over three months from October 2020. Data were analysed applying descriptive statistics and inferential statistical methods. There was a total of 131 study participants (response rate 83 %), and most of them were working in general wards (56%), while 42% were in critical care units. The proportion of anxiety and stress is associated with nurses working in critical care units were significantly higher than those in general wards (p<0.001). There were no associations between sex, marital status, having children, experience, qualifications, and medical or psychiatric conditions (p>0.05). The system of reporting mental health issues was unfortunately not in place. Staff felt that reporting stress/burnout or anxiety might seem like a negative attribute. Considering the above factors, one would expect more prevalence than we have seen in this study; therefore, we can infer that if mental health is not prioritised in healthcare institutions, then definitely lack of awareness/openness and under-reporting by staff will result in a long-term systemic problem (Suffering in the name of Resilience).