Depression affects approximately 350 million individuals globally and is the leading cause of disability. Depression among nursing students is an ongoing issue, yet little is known about the relationship between depression and its risk factors among nursing students in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression among a cohort of Saudi nursing students and to explore the risk factors associated with depression in this group. A cross-sectional design was employed for this study, which was conducted by the nursing faculty at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The researcher sampled 330 nursing students, with 252 students (a 76.3% response rate) randomly selected by the academic advising unit in the nursing college between January and February 2023. The participants completed an online survey based on the Arabic version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The data were analyzed using univariate analysis and backward multi-variable logistic regression. The findings revealed that 65.1% of the participants scored 16 or above on the depression scale, indicating high levels of depressive symptoms. Univariate analysis identified several significant risk factors for depression, including sex (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.16–0.51; p < 0.001), academic pressure (OR, 5.87; 95% CI, 2.04–16.84; p < 0.001), interpersonal relationships (evaluated by balance and harmony in thoughts, emotions, behavior, and interactions with others; categorized as good/fair or poor), and the relationship with the father, which were strongly associated with the presence of depression symptoms. Backward multi-variable logistic regression analysis further revealed that being male, experiencing reduced academic pressure, having stronger father–son relationships, and maintaining positive interpersonal relationships were significantly associated with decreased levels of depression (ORs ranged from 0.25 to 3.94). These findings highlight the need for family and school-based prevention interventions to help nursing students in college avoid depression.

Background: Critical care nurses are frequently exposed to traumatic clinical events and occupational stress, increasing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compassion fatigue, and compromised psychological well-being. However, the interrelationships among these variables in Saudi Arabia remain unclear. This study investigated the associations between PTSD symptoms, compassion fatigue, and psychological well-being among critical care nurses. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2025 with 210 critical care nurses from the Eastern and Riyadh regions of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Professional Quality of Life Scale, and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression. Results: The mean PCL-5 score was 27.44, with 38.1% of participants meeting the cutoff for probable PTSD. Compassion fatigue was moderate. The mean WHO-5 score was 54.60, indicating moderate well-being, though a substantial proportion reported poor well-being. Psychological well-being was negatively correlated with both PTSD symptoms and compassion fatigue, while PTSD symptoms were strongly positively correlated with compassion fatigue. Both PTSD and compassion fatigue independently predicted lower well-being, explaining 21% of the variance. Sociodemographic variables were not significant predictors after adjustment. Conclusions: Critical care nurses experience moderate PTSD symptoms and compassion fatigue, adversely affecting psychological well-being. These findings underscore the interconnected nature of trauma-related distress and professional quality of life, highlighting the need for routine psychological screening, trauma-informed support, and resilience-focused interventions.