Frequency of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and association with occupational stress among nurses at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan: an analytical cross-sectional study

Background: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (FD), are common chronic conditions characterized by persistent gastrointestinal symptoms without an identifiable organic cause. Nurses are vulnerable to occupational stress due to demanding work environments, irregular shifts, and high emotional and physical workloads, which may predispose them to FGIDs, more than general population. We assessed the frequency of FGIDs, and their association with occupational stress among nurses in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study, among 326 registered nurses at a private tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. We applied quota sampling with proportionate allocation for recruiting participants across six major departments: Medicine, Surgery, Emergency, Outpatient, Pediatrics and Gynaecology-Obstetrics. We collected data using a self-administered questionnaire, comprising different sections: socio-demographic information, lifestyle and medical history, and the standardized Nursing Stress Scale, and Rome IV criteria for FGIDs. We reported medians with interquartile ranges for continuous variables and frequencies with percentages for categorical variables. The associations were assessed using logistic regression to calculate crude and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals, after checking for multicollinearity and interaction terms. Results: Frequency of FGIDs was 39% (n = 128), while approximately 20% (n = 65) experienced moderate to severe occupational stress. In the multivariable model, moderate to severe occupational stress was associated with FGIDs (aOR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.11–5.27). Additional risk factors included history of psychiatric illness (aOR = 2.79, 95% CI: 1.46–5.32), and tobacco consumption (aOR = 3.65, 95% CI: 1.41–9.48); nurses reporting regular exercise (≥ 150 minutes/week) had 59% lower odds of FGIDs (aOR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.23–0.71). Conclusions: We found a high burden of occupational stress and FGIDs among nurses at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan and found that occupational stress significantly increases the risk of FGIDs in nurses. At the institutional level, integrating screening for FGIDs into routine occupational health check-ups, alongside stress assessments, could facilitate early identification of at-risk staff.