Depression in Nursing Students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Background: University students are important parts of all educational systems. They are susceptible to different psychiatric disturbances, which in turn may cause considerable problems with their course programs. Depression is among the most important indices for investigation on human mental health status. This research was planed to study the prevalence and characteristics of depression and its consequences (suicidality, hopelessness, etc.) in nursing students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: All undergraduate nursing students at Fatemeh College of Nursing and Midwifery were tested with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: This research revealed that 60% of students were depressed, 34% of them had mild depression, 18.4% moderate, 6% relatively severe and 1.6% severe depression. Mean score of BDI was not significantly different between female and male subjects (13.8 ± 9 in females vs. 15.2 ± 10 in males; total 14.1 ± 11) Conclusions: This research shows that there is still a high proportion of University students having depression, which necessitates considerable attention to their problems.