Aim: To understand Portuguese nurses' perceptions of their mental health.
Background: The impact of nurses' health and well-being on the quality and safety of the care they provide is well known. In Portugal, there are no representative studies regarding nurses' mental health.
Materials and methods: Transversal, analytical, and observational methods were used, with a quantitative approach. Participants answered questions through an online form. We collected data concerning social-professional characterization, general health status, and mental health. The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used.
Results: A total of 1264 nurses participated in a nonrandomized sample. Two-thirds revealed a negative perception of their mental health. Of these, 22.2% reported severe depression symptoms, 71.6% indicated significant somatic symptoms, 76% showed significant anxiety, and 94.1% presented some kind of social dysfunction.
Conclusion: Better mental health is associated with being part of a larger household, enjoying more hours of sleep, having more free weekends, being male, working as a specialist, and engaging in leisure activities. Worse mental health is associated with being older, having a longer career, working more hours, and practicing in the hospital context.
Implications for nursing practice: The professionals' living and working conditions must be addressed by their managers.
Keywords: health perception; healthcare survey; nurses' mental health.
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