Factors associated with suicide risk among nurses and physicians: a cross-section study

Abstract

Objective: to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with suicide risk among nurses and physicians. Method: a cross-sectional study carried out at a university hospital with 216 health professionals, who answered a socio-demographic-labor questionnaire, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for assessing suicide risk, and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS 21). The Poisson Regression Model was used for multiple analysis. Results: it was identified that variables such as not having a partner, history of attempted suicide, stress and depression symptoms were statistically associated with suicide risk. The prevalence of lifelong suicide attempts among nurses was 9.41%, and among physicians, 2.29%. Conclusion: the findings of this investigation enable the understanding of suicidal behavior among hospital nurses and physicians, in addition to enabling the development of prevention strategies in order to reduce suicide risk prevalence in this population group.

The silent epidemic: Death by suicide among physicians

“…A prospective study conducted on doctors over 10 years (2008–2017), reported the average age of suicide among physicians as 44 years, ranging from 30 to 65 years. This finding differs from the general population, where the age associated most commonly with suicide ranges from 25 to 34 years (Freire et al, 2020). Anesthetic, surgical and emergency specialties were most commonly associated with doctor and medical trainee suicides, followed by Psychiatrists (Bourne et al, 2017; Lindeman et al, 1996).…”

“…Beginning with medical training itself, doctors face hard to achieve goals, unrelenting work load and exacting standards of service with no room for error. Medical training has traditionally normalized and even promoted some levels of stress and stoicism as essentials for producing competent physicians (Freire et al, 2020; West et al, 2018). As they work harder to stay on top of all expectations, they tend to develop feelings of incompetence and guilt for things beyond their control (Kuhn & Flanagan, 2017; Stehman et al, 2019; West et al, 2018).…”

Mental health of nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

“…During the pre-pandemic period in Brazil, studies reported depression prevalence of 21.3% and 27%, respectively 21 , 22 . This suggests a potentially greater occurrence of depressive episodes among nursing professionals during the pandemic.…”