Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Nurses Providing Care to the COVID-19 Patients: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Addressing adequately the mental health during and after COVID-19, as well as preparation for possible future outbreaks, requires an understanding of the nature and extent of mental health impacts, factors related to negative mental health outcomes and symptoms of mental illness. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among nurses providing care to the COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from 10(th) April 2021 to 30(th) June 2021 among 301 nurses from three COVID-19 dedicated hospitals using self-administered questionnaires. Whole sampling technique was used. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Board of Nepal Health Research Council (Registration number: 106/2021P). The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were calculated. RESULTS: Out of 301 nurses, the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was 258 (85.72%), 189 (62.80%) and 151 (49.84%) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study has shown a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among nurses in comparison to other studies in the similar settings. A quick assessment of the mental health status and mental health requirements of nurses would be helpful in responding to and reducing psychological distress in the crisis situation. The mental health status of nurses should thus be closely monitored by the employing health institutions including managing their workload, providing emotional support and responding to their personal needs.