Suicidality, Psychological distress and Professional help seeking: A cross sectional survey of Omani Student Nurses

Abstract

Objective: This survey was designed to assess the psychological distress, suicidality and help seeking behavior amongst Omani baccalaureate student nurses. Methods: This cross sectional survey took place between January 2021 and June 2021. Undergraduate nursing students enrolled at level two and above of baccalaureate nursing program at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman agreed to participate in the study. A self-administered demographic proforma with Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), suicide behaviors questionnaire-revised and the attitude towards seeking professional psychological help scale short form were distributed to all the participants. Results: The sample consisted of 222 student nurses with a mean age of 22 years. Overall, 43% were likely to have psychological distress suggestive of moderate mental disorder and alarmingly, (42%) have a severe mental disorder as well. Six percentage of the study participants have suicidal tendencies as they scored ≥ 7 in the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire. Psychological distress and suicidality are positively correlated (r=.185; p=0.006), thus it is proven that as the psychological distress increases the suicidality of the students also increases. Majority of the students (70.29%) had average help seeking behavior for the common mental health problems. Conclusion: Psychological distress of moderate to severe level, with a positive correlation to suicidality was found among many nursing students. Further research in exploring the multifactorial link of psychological distress, suicidality and its impact on their academic achievement is recommended.