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17-Oct-2013
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Arch Hellen Med, 30(5), September-October 2013, 587-594 ORIGINAL PAPER The impact of the economic crisis on the mental health of nurses: A pilot study M. Kalogeropoulou, E. Papathanasopoulou |
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the mental health of nurses during the economic crisis and investigate the impact of demographic and social factors on their psychopathological symptoms of anxiety and depression.
METHOD Data were collected from a sample of 103 nurses working in 4 public hospitals in Greece, 3 in Athens and one in the provinces using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30).
RESULTS The sample appeared to be showing no signs of depression, but symptoms of anxiety were recorded, related to both the specific nature of the work of nurses and the current financial crisis, although not to a high degree. Parameters such as gender, education, and age and the correlations between them appear to affect the general perceptions and decisions of nurses concerning both their professional status and life in general, particularly in the context of the current economic crisis.
CONCLUSIONS Continuous efforts should be made to prevent and resolve problems of anxiety and depression experienced by health professionals in order to maintain a high level of physical and mental health, which has a direct impact on the quality of care that they provide to their patients.
Key words: Economic crisis, GHQ-30, Greece, Mental health, Nursing staff.
