Over a third of nurses could be depressed

Nursing in a hospital is a challenging job that requires physical stamina, emotional intelligence and intelligence. With many nurses also having to look after elderly parents and/or children it's not surprising that a lot of nurses suffer from stress and burnout. Darlene Welsh from the University of Kentucky studied 150 nurses. She found that over a third (35%) of them had mild-moderate depressive symptoms. Fatigue/low energy (43%), joint pain (30%), trouble sleeping (29%), back pain (28%) and headaches (18%) were the main physical complaints. Depressive symptoms were made worse by physical health problems, major life events (such as bereavement and divorce) and occupational stress. The longer people had worked in hospitals and the higher their income the lower their risk of depression was.

Welsh, Darlene - Predictors of depressive symptoms in female medical-surgical hospital nurses Issues in Mental Health Nursing 30(5), 320-326