BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence about the increasing incidence of depression and the consequences in people's lives. OBJECTIVE: This study aymed to describe and correlate depression symptoms and self-esteem levels among nursing students. METHODS: 242 first, second and third-year nursing students agreed to participate and answered two depression scales and one self-esteem assessment instrument. RESULTS: Participants were between 17 and 44 years old; 40% were older than 25; 4.4% were not single and 4.9% were men. These results indicate that the students' profile is changing. 80.8% of students did not present any signs of depression and all students with high self-esteem scores belonged to this group. The remaining (80.4%) presented average self-esteem levels. Levels of dysphoria (10.3%), moderate and severe depression (6.7%) and low and average self-esteem correspond to results mentioned in literature. CONCLUSION: Depression symptoms among nursing students are in accordance with the literature, but measures of self-esteem are below the expected levels.
Esteem; depression; nursing; psychiatry; student
