BackgroundHospital nurses are exposed to various work-related factors that may be associated with increased risk of developing different mental disorders. Empirical evidence on the prevalence and correlates of individual mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression is widely reported, while a combined pattern of these conditions is unknown. This study aims to examine the co-occurrence of stress, anxiety and depression among clinical nurses, and to explore socio-demographic characteristics of, and working conditions experienced by, nurses that may be associated with these three mental health conditions.MethodsA cross-sectional study was implemented in one tertiary hospital in Hanoi city, Vietnam, from May to September 2015. A self-reported questionnaire including a short version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale 21 items and questions on demographic and work-related characteristics was delivered to 787 registered nurses. 600 completed questionnaires was used in the final analysis (76.2% response rate). The two-step clustering analysis was performed to identify sub groups. Chi square test and post hoc ANOVA analysis with Bonferroni correction were used to examine differences in psychological status, demographic characteristics and working conditions among the clusters (two-tailed p < 0.05).ResultsThe prevalence of self-reported stress, anxiety and depression were 18.5%, 39.8% and 13.2%, respectively. 45.3% participants reported symptoms of at least one mental disorder, 7.3% had all three. Nurses in the first cluster (high prevalence of mental disorders), had high task demand and conflict at work with low job control and reward. The second cluster nurses (moderate percentage of mental strain) were significantly older and in marital relationship, high task demand and job control, and presence of chronic diseases. The lowest proportion of self-perceived mental disorders were observed in the cluster three who were younger and had fewer years of services, moderate task demand and low job control and better physical health in comparison with those in the other two clusters (p < 0.05).ConclusionsStress, anxiety and depression were prevalent among clinical nurses. Heterogeneity in demographic characteristics and working conditions were observed across clusters with different patterns of mental disorders. Institutional effort should be emphasized to support nurses in their career development to reduce psychological strains.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13033-018-0257-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Self-treatment is particularly prevalent in Vietnam. However, the prevalence of this practice among the working population is unclear. This study aims to describe the prevalence of self-treatment and related factors among workers aged 15 to 60 years in the suburban area of Chi Linh, Hai Duong, Vietnam. Secondary data of 3128 respondents was retrieved from the CHILILAB HDSS 2016 survey for analysis using logistic regression with a significance level of .05. Results show that 47.5% of respondents treated themselves at least once during one previous year. While rural residence and the presence of acute health symptoms and chronic diseases significantly associate with the choice of self-treatment among all investigated workers, lower education level and health insurance status only significantly relate to this practice among the formally employed workers. The findings imply the need for specific measures to manage self-treatment practices among different groups of workers.

Objectives: Describe the current situation of respiratory symptoms in waste collection workers at 2 branches in Hanoi and some related factors, 2017 Methods: The cross-sectional study was implemented in the first 6 months of 2017. The study was performed on 796 waste collection workers at 2 branches of Hanoi Urban Environment Company Limited. The study used the American Thoracic Society and the Division of Lung Disease-1978 adult (ATS - DLD - 78a) questionnaire to collect and assess workers' respiratory symptoms. Results: Common respiratory symptoms in waste collection workers were: Cough (27.8%), phlegm (18.3%) and wheezing (15.2%). 10.8% of workers have at least one chronic respiratory symptom; 4.6% and 5.4% of workers had wheezing both day and night and wheezing to the point of difficulty breathing. The proportion of reporting respiratory symptoms in workers over 45 years old was 1.93 times that of workers younger than 45 years. Conclusions: Workers exposed to occupational hazards had a higher prevalence proportion of chronic respiratory symptoms than those who were not exposed. However, a significant association between exposure to occupational harmful factor and chronic respiratory symptoms has not been established. Keywords: respiratory symptoms, worker, waste collection