The Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Undergraduate Nursing Students in the University for Development Studies, Tamale
Author(s): Peter Mintir Amadu, Rejoice Enyonam Hoedoafia, George Dassah, Laar Kantam Cletus, Sophia Ewuenye Adwoa Kpebu, Millicent Aarah-Bapuah, Vivian Kapio Abem
Background: Nursing students at the University for Development Studies encounter significant stress factors throughout their academic journey, contributing to both physical and mental health issues that has the potential to negatively impact their academic achievements. However, there is a scarcity of research focusing on depression, anxiety, and stress within this specific student population.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and impact of depression, anxiety, and stress among nursing students in the University for Development Studies.
Methodology: Cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University for Development Studies. A simple random sampling of 400 undergraduate nursing students completed self-administered questionnaire on Depression, anxiety and stress measured by the short version of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21).
Results: The sample consisted of 400 respondents made up of 41% male and 59% female students. The majority of the respondent were within the age range of 18 to 24 years. Most of the respondents met the cutoff point for clinical diagnoses of depression (58%), anxiety (58.4%) and stress related challenges (65%). Results showed a significant positive relationship between depression and anxiety (r = .767, p <.001), depression and stress (r = .722, p <.001) stress and anxiety (r = .904, p <.001). The findings of the study also revealed a concerning trend, as a high prevalence of symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and stress were observed among the study participants. The factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress were gender, age, academic year of the students, marital status, monthly family income, living arrangement and history of mental health support. The overall effect of depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate nursing students at the University for Development Studies (UDS) reveals that 50.8% of students report severe levels of these mental health problems.
Conclusion: Depression, anxiety and stress are highly prevalent among undergraduate nursing students and correlations between these variables are positive. The improvement of mental health services among nursing students is essential. The findings call for initiation of mental health screenings sessions for nursing students, training on stress management interventions and increased counseling facilities/opportunities for nursing students in the university and indeed the entire student population of the institution. This study recommends that mental health screening be part and incorporated into student’s medicals in the University, which is a requirement for all fresh students.