Prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms among intensive care nurses: A meta-analysis

Nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) experience more stressful workplace conditions, making them more vulnerable to high levels of depression compared with those working in other healthcare settings.

This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of depression in ICU nurses.

A systematic search was conducted in Medline, EMBASE, CINHO, and Web of Science databases. Studies that reported depression among ICU nurses measured by a validated tool were synthesized using a random-effects model. Differences in prevalence of depression by study-level characteristics were estimated using sub-group analysis. Heterogeneity was investigated using standard Chi-squared tests and the I² statistic.

Data were extracted from 19 cross-sectional studies (2003-2020) from 11 countries involving 7196 ICU nurses. The overall pooled prevalence of depression or depressive symptoms among ICU nurses was 24.99% (95% CI, 17.9%-32.7%) with high between-study heterogeneity (χ²  = 812, τ²  = 0.03, I²  = 98%, P < .01).

Depression appears to be common among ICU nurses. Considering its negative impact on the quality of life of staff, patient care, and the overall critical care work environment, effective interventions should be designed and implemented to improve psychological health in this population.

Findings of this review indicate that regular screening for depressive symptoms might be helpful, and access to professional help and supportive care should be provided if necessary.