Psychological distress, suicidality and resilience of Lithuanian nurses.

Abstract

Background: Nurses, like other healthcare workers, are prone to poorer mental health, increased burnout, and may have an increased risk of suicide.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate mental health problems among Lithuanian nurses and explore factors associated with them.

Method: The survey was completed by 533 nurses. Mental health was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21, and suicidal ideation was measured with the Suicidal Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R).

Findings: A large proportion of nurses in the study had high psychological distress, with 18% having high depression, 29.3% - high anxiety, and 17.1% - high stress. 21.2% of the sample had an increased suicide risk. 64.9% of nurses considered changing their careers to a non-medical profession in the last 12 months.

Discussion: Addressing mental health issues in the national healthcare system is critical to avoiding the loss of valued medical community members and ensuring that patients do not lose their critical caretakers.