The Association of Depression and Anxiety Disorders With Gastrointestinal Symptoms Among Nurses

Background: The significant overlap of psychological disorders in both functional and organic gastrointestinal (GI) diseases highlights the complex and interconnected relationship between the brain and the gut.  Objectives: This study investigated the association between depression and anxiety with GI symptoms among nurses. Materials Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 460 nurses. All individuals’ clinical characteristics, demographical data and GI symptoms were recorded. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the depression, anxiety and stress scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 16 and GraphPad Prism software, version 8.0.1, was used to design graphs. Results: The mean age of participants was 30.08±7.43 years and 441 were females. Their mean scores of depression and anxiety were 2.50±4.53 and 4.57±5.59, respectively. The prevalence rates of GI symptoms, depression, and anxiety among nurses were 16.7%, 10.2% and 25.4%, respectively. The frequencies of depression and anxiety were significantly higher among nurses with more work experience (P 0.05). Among those with fixed shifts and upper education, anxiety was more prevalent. The most frequent GI symptom was abdominal pain (5.9%). Depression and anxiety were significantly associated with GI symptoms (P 0.05). A significant association between work experience and the likelihood of experiencing depression (Odds ratio [OR]=3.95, 95% CI: 1.63- 9.57, P=0.002) and anxiety (OR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.02- 2.7, P=0.041) was observed. Conclusion: The study revealed the association between depression and anxiety with GI symptoms among nurses that have been increased by years of working.