There is scant data about mental disorders among nursing students from Nepal though it is reported high in other parts.

To measure prevalence of psychiatric problems and to determine common stressors among nursing students

This institute based prevalence study included all certificate and bachelor level nursing students of B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Nepal during 2011/12. After informed written consent, ‘semi-structured proforma’, ‘General Health Questionnaire 28’ and ‘Gurmeet Singh's Presumptive stressful life events scale’ were distributed to record sociodemographic/ clinical profiles and other relevant information; to screen psychiatric disorder and to study the stressors respectively. The ‘General Health Questionnaire 28’ gives ‘psychiatric caseness’ to subjects with score 4 or more.

Out of total 200 nursing students, 185 could be enrolled during study period. All subjects were female. They were studying in certificate and in BSc. nursing programs in different academic years. Majority were unmarried, less than 25 years of age, were from urban settings and from nuclear family. Among the enrolled subjects, ‘psychiatric caseness’ was present in 88 (47.57%) subjects, with cut off score of 4. The most common stressful events reported from the ‘Gurmeet Singh's Presumptive stressful life events scale’ were related to exam, study and accommodation to institute life, and average total score of the presumptive stress was 164.8 (minimum 0, maximum 706) in last year.

Many nursing students suffer from psychological problems and experience the stress, common stressor being related with nursing education.