Survey of Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Undergraduate Nursing Students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences

Nursing students experience a lot of stress during their education, which is associated with psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, stress, and depression. The aim of this study was to examine depression, anxiety, stress, and associated factors among undergraduate nursing students in Hamadan Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. In this cross-sectional study, 342 undergraduate nursing students from Hamedan University of Medical Sciences were selected with the Census sampling method, during year 2017. The data collection tool was a questionnaire of 21 questions for measuring stress, anxiety and depression, and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 software and descriptive and inferential statistics. The sample consisted of 165 (48.2%) male and 177 (51.8%) female students. The mean (SD) age was 21.77 ± 3.11 years. Overall, 52 (15.2%) students of the first semester and 220 (64.3%) were residents of the dormitory. The findings showed that the mean and standard deviation of students' scores in the dimensions of stress, anxiety, and depression were, respectively, 8.39 ± 6.27, 4.99 ± 5.24, and 5.39 ± 6.22. In other words, 21.9% of the respondents reported mild to extremely severe symptoms of depression, 16.1% stress, and 28.7% anxiety. Also, there was no significant relationship between the scores of psychological symptoms and age, educational term, and dwelling place, yet there was a significant relationship between the level of anxiety and gender; the level of anxiety in females was higher than that of males, and there was no significant relationship between stress and depression, and gender. Depression, anxiety, and stress are highly prevalent among undergraduate nursing students. Planning for the promotion of mental health with the aim of prevention and timely therapeutic interventions in nursing students' education is essential.