Academic Journal
Prevalence of depressive symptoms in the nursing workforce in Pakistan: Systematic review and meta-analytic evidence.
| Τίτλος: | Prevalence of depressive symptoms in the nursing workforce in Pakistan: Systematic review and meta-analytic evidence. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Ebrahimi H; Lahore School of Nursing, The University of Lahore (UoL), Lahore, Pakistan. Electronic address: hamideebrahimi363@yahoo.com., Mohammadnezhad M; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom; Department of Public Health, Daffodil International University (DIU), Daffodil Smart City (DSC), Birulia, Savar, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh., Pishe MHF; Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada., Fastenau A; Department of Global Health, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany; German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association (GLRA/DAHW), HQ, Wuerzburg, Germany; Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, Karachi, Pakistan. |
| Πηγή: | Archives of psychiatric nursing [Arch Psychiatr Nurs] 2026 Oct; Vol. 64, pp. 152239. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 16. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Systematic Review; Meta-Analysis; Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: W.B. Saunders Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8708534 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1532-8228 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08839417 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Arch Psychiatr Nurs Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Philadelphia, PA : W.B. Saunders Original Publication: Orlando, FL : Grune & Stratton, c1987- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Depression*/epidemiology , Nurses*/psychology , Nurses*/statistics & numerical data, Pakistan/epidemiology ; Humans ; Prevalence |
| Περίληψη: | Introduction: Nursing involves demanding clinical responsibilities and emotional challenges that may increase the risk of depressive symptoms and affect nurses' well-being and patient care. This study estimated the pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms among registered nurses in Pakistan and examined variations across regions and assessment instruments. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Pakistan-based databases were searched. Eligible studies reported the prevalence or severity of depressive symptoms among registered nurses in clinical settings using validated or clearly described assessment tools. Two reviewers conducted data extraction and quality assessment using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. A random-effects model was used to estimate pooled prevalence. Subgroup analyses were performed by region and assessment instrument, and meta-regression assessed temporal trends. Results: Twenty-two studies involving 3190 nurses were included. The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms was 49%, with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 97%). Prevalence varied by assessment instrument, ranging from 38% with the PHQ-9 to 61% with the DASS-21. Regional analyses indicated higher prevalence estimates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa than in other provinces. Meta-regression showed no significant association between publication year and prevalence estimates. Although Egger's test suggested possible funnel plot asymmetry, Trim-and-Fill analysis did not indicate substantial publication bias. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among nurses in Pakistan and represent a major occupational mental health concern. Interventions to improve working conditions and organizational support, along with standardized assessment methods, may help reduce this burden and improve the consistency of future research findings. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Depressive symptoms; Nurses; Pakistan; Prevalence,; Systematic review |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20261012 Date Completed: 20261012 Latest Revision: 20261016 |
| Update Code: | 20261016 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.apnu.2026.152239 |
| PMID: | 42863933 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1532-8228 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.apnu.2026.152239 |