Exploring psychological distress among psychiatric nurses in Tunisia

Abstract

Introduction Nurses working in psychiatric departments regularly encounter intricate, stress-inducing, and emotionally challenging situations. The mental well-being of these nurses directly influences the quality of care they deliver. Objectives To assess the prevalence of psychological distress among psychiatric nurses and to identify the socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with it. Methods Cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study conducted over the course of one month from October 11th to November 8th 2023. Participants included were psychiatric nurses working in Razi Hospital, Tunisia. We collected data using pre-established questionnaire which included socio-demographic and clinical data of the participants. The assessment of psychological distress was conducted using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), validated in Arabic. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) in its 25th version Results We collected data from 55 nurses working in Razi psychiatry hospital during the time of the study. Among them, 80% (n=44) were female. Their median age was 35 (Min=25, Max=62). Most of participants were married (81.8%, n=45) and 70.9 (n=39) had kids. In our sample, 5.5% (n=3) and 23.6% (n=13) had respectively personal psychiatric and somatic history. Some addictive behaviors were identified among our participants, especially smoking (14.5%, n=379) and alcohol use (3.6%, n=2). Regarding working conditions, 81.8% (n=45) were assigned shift work. They worked in the men’s ward (43.6%, n=24), the women’s ward (34.5%, n=19), or in both (21.8%, n=12). Furthermore, 45.5% (n=25) reported witnessing a suicide attempt during their work, and 74.5% (n=41) were victims of aggression, primarily by patients (82.5%, n=33). Sixty percent (n=33) said expressed a desire to transfer. Moderate to extremely severe depression, anxiety and stress was observed in respectively 34.5% (n=19), 61.8% (n=34) and 36.4% (n=20) of cases. A significant association was found between stress among psychiatry nurses and personal somatic history (p <10-3). No further links were found between depression, anxiety, stress and other clinical factors. Conclusions These results emphasize the difficult working environment within psychiatric settings, emphasizing the critical requirement for specific interventions aimed at improving the mental health and well-being of psychiatric nurses. Disclosure of Interest None Declared