Mental health and perceived social support among nurses working in primary care

Primary care is a critical component of healthcare systems worldwide, and the way it is organized varies from country to country. Nursing staff are essential to patient care. The quality of patient care depends on the organization of healthcare services and the physical and mental well-being of healthcare professionals. The latter may be related to perceived social support. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and to analyse perceived social support among nursing staff working in primary care clinics.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2022 to January 2023 among nurses working in a network of private primary care outpatient clinics. The Polish adaptation of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) measured perceived social support, and a modified Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) assessed the mental well-being of the nurses. Date were analysed using Statistica 13.3, with a statistical significance level set at 0.05.

The study involved 175 nurses working in outpatient clinics of a privately-owned healthcare group. The results revealed that the nursing staff had symptoms of mental health disorders, such as anxiety (21.71%), depression (8%), and irritability (47.43%). In total, the respondents scored 15.54 ± 9.02 points on the HADS-M scale. The nursing staff rated perceived social support at 69.79 ± 13.08 points. Nurses in managerial positions reported higher overall perceived social support (p = 0.042). A negative correlation was found between the age of nursing staff and perceived support from significant others (p = 0.039), as well as between the number of workplaces and perceived support from family members (p < 0.01).

Nurses who scored higher on mental well-being also rated their perceived social support higher. Further research is needed to explore how perceived social support from key individuals in the workplace affects the mental health of nurses employed in primary care.