Abstract
Background: Anxiety and depression are common health issues, which have been on the increase globally in the past era. The presence of either of them often increases the having of the other. Statistics have indicated that anxiety and depression has been affecting nursing students at an alarming rate around the globe
Objectives: To find out the prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms among nursing students.
Methods: The research study design was cross-sectional, involving a sample of 190 male nursing students from College of Nursing, Sindh Government Hospital, Liaquatabad, Karachi. Data were collected using a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS). Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to assess the normality of the data, Independent t-test and ANOVA were used as a statistical test to analyze data.
Results: The findings of the research study showed that 43.7% of nursing student had anxiety and depressive symptoms. The age group did not significantly associated with anxiety and depressive score (p-value = 0.696).No significant difference were found in terms of resident (p-value: 0.124). The family income, family type and substance abuse were also reported to have no significant association with anxiety and depression score (p-values: 0.967, 0.330, and 0.223). The only significant association was found between academic level and anxiety, depressive score (p-value-= 0.006).
Conclusion: The current study showed that more than one-third of nursing students were experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Intervention to lower the anxiety and depression should be carried out. The psychologist should be there to enhance and support students’ mental health.