The Examination of Psychological Distress in Hospital Nurses in Iraq: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Psychological distress is expressed as a sign that may lead to the development of some psychological disorders. Nurses face work-related psychological difficulties, and it is important to determine the level of psychological distress before it leads to the development of psychological problems. The aim of this study is to examine the psychological distress in nurses working in hospitals in Iraq. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with 315 volunteer nurses working in hospitals in Babylon, Iraq, between January and May 2022. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Characteristics Form and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Data analysis included descriptive statistical methods (numbers, percentages, min-max values, mean, and standard deviation), the Mann-Whitney U test for the difference between two independent groups in the comparison of quantitative data, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test for the comparison of more than two independent groups. In case of a difference, Bonferroni correction was employed to find the group that caused the difference. Results: The mean score of the nurses in the study on the K6 was 19.26 +/- 6.14 for the total scale, 6.34 +/- 2.13 for the anxiety subdimension, and 13.92 +/- 4.17 for the depression subdimension. There was a statistically significant difference between the nurses' mean scores on the K6 according to their age, gender, total work experience, weekly working hours, department, and the status of shift work (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Psychological distress in nurses was high. Mental health protection and improvement interventions can be performed to increase nurses' mental well-being. Through these interventions, positive contributions can be made to nurses' health and quality of care by acting early before mental disorders develop. The design of workplace mental health protection interventions and psychological support programs for nurses is recommended.