Socio-demographic and work-related factors associated with mental health disparities among nurses working in public sector hospitals

ABSTRACT

This study addresses the mental health disparities among nurses based on various socio-demographic and work-related factors. Recognizing the widespread issue of mental health in the nursing profession, the study investigates the differences in the mental health of nurses to various socio-demographic and work-related factors. The study focused on hospital status, shift timing, education level, working hours, marital status, gender, family income level, and family size. Using convenient sampling, data were collected from 310 nurses working in public sector hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan. Kruskal Wallis H test, Mann Whitney U test, and Dunn's pairwise tests were used. The study findings revealed significant differences in mental health across these factors except for family size. Key findings highlight mental health disparities based on hospital status, shift timing, education level, working hours, marital status, gender, and family income. The study concludes that tailored interventions and support systems are essential to address the specific challenges faced by diverse nursing subgroups. The study contributes to the development of a resilient and well-supported nursing workforce. These findings have broader implications for nursing professional development, academic courses, and the overall well-being of healthcare professionals.

KEYWORDS:

• Socio-demographic factors
• work-related factors
• mental health disparities
• nurses

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Muhammad Shahzad

Muhammad Shahzad has been working as lecturer at department of sociology, University of Gujrat, Pakistan since 2012. He has ten years' experience of teaching sociology of health and medicine, industrial sociology, and sociology of education. His areas of interests are but not limited to sociology of workplace health, alternative medicine, faith healing and effects of hijab-wearing on health outcomes.

Usama Ghafoor

Usama Ghafoor is an MBBS student of Medical University Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. His main area of research is community medicine. He is currently working on research project that explores the role of community in determining the psychological health of workers.

Nasim Ahmad

Nasim Ahmad has been working as lecturer at department of sociology, university of Gujrat, Pakistan since 2011. His research focuses on investigating the social and cultural factors shaping health experiences, with focus on health disparities based on gender.