Assessment of mental health status among nurses working in hospitals in Behbahan city

One of the major factors affecting the development of any organization is its employee's mental health. In consideration of the vital role, the nurse's role in promoting public health, the present study aimed at investigating the mental health status of the nurses.
This research is a cross sectional study, addressing a sample of 93 nurses, including 61 females and 32 males, which have been chosen randomly from among the nurses working in various departments of hospitals in Behbahan city. The participants were asked to complete the general health questionnaire (GHQ). Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics i.e. mean, standard deviation, and frequency, and inferential statistics i.e. independent t-test for comparing health status of the two groups, in SPSS 22 software environment.
The results showed that 75 percent of the nurses were unhealthy and 25 percent healthy; there was a significant difference between the mental health status of male and female nurses; there was a significant difference between the rates of depression in male and female nurses; there were significant sex differences in prevalence of anxiety, physical functioning, and social functioning, as well.
It can be concluded, on the basis of the findings, that the majority of nurses had a low mental health status, and the mental health status of female nurses is more at risk, compared to male nurses.