Prevalence of Depression among Nurses Working in the Operating Rooms and Intensive Care Units

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder with a high prevalence among the staff of Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of depression among nurses working in ICUs and operating rooms (ORs) of training hospitals in Ilam city. In this cross-sectional study, 60 nurses working in the ICUs and ORs of Ilam hospitals were selected via census sampling in 2013. Data were collected using standard Beck Depression Inventory. This scale consists of 21 questions, with the scores ranging between 0 and 63. Parametric and non-parametric tests were performed using SPSS version 16. The mean age of nurses was 31.86±8.35 years. More than half of participants were male (52.1%) and 50% were married. In total, 10.4% of subjects smoked and 29.2% exercised regularly. The mean depression score was 33.6±8.0, and 20.3% of subjects suffered from severe depression. Prevalence of depression was higher among women, singles, smokers, physically inactive individuals, and anesthesia personnel, although the difference was statistically insignificant (P>0.05). Moreover, increased age was insignificantly correlated with decreased depression score. The prevalence of depression among participants in this study was significantly higher than that reported in other studies. Therefore, reducing nurses’ working hours and holding educational and counseling courses for improving their lifestyle are recommended.