Abstract:
Introduction
The magnitude of anxiety and depressive symptoms is alarming among university students. first onset of mental disorders mostly occurs between 15- 24. Depression is second leading cause of disability by 2020.
The literature points toward a positive association between first onset of mental illness and being a university student, although the first onset of mental disorders mostly occurs between 15- 24 (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010).
A 2013 systematic review of depression studies in university students revealed that the burden of anxiety and depressive symptoms among medical students ranged from 10% to 80% (Ibrahim, Kelly, Adams, & Glazebrook, 2013) and suicidal ideation from approximately 5 to 36% (Rotenstein et al., 2016).
Objectives
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and associated factors among undergraduate nursing students in a nursing school in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methodology
A cross-sectional survey was done in a private nursing institution using Aga Khan University Anxiety & Depression Scale along with a demographic questionnaire. . Institutional ethical approval was taken and consent was taken from each participants. Participants who were screened positive for Anxiety and depressive symptoms were referred to student counselor for screening and further intervention.
Results:The anxiety and depressive symptoms was found to be 45.5% among nursing students. The study found that anxiety and depressive symptoms were positively associated with Age and inversely related to physical activity.
Conclusions & Recommendations:
The current study calls for some important actions to promote the mental well-being among nursing students in a university. First of all, there is a need to revise the curriculum to identify some ‘breathing spaces’, reduce heavy lecture loads, and revisit assessment schedules and strategies. Moreover, regular physical activities , meditation and mindfulness will serve as beneficial strategies to reduce the growing burdens of Anxiety and Depressive symptoms among students.
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