Background: Psychological discomfort is a state of emotional distress caused by everyday stressors and obligations that are difficult to manage. It’s one of the most common mental health problems on the planet. The physical status of a person has an impact on his or her psychological well-being, and if not handled well, it will eventually have an impact on his or her well-being. Orthopedic trauma has a wide range of effects on survivors’ physical health, as well as a variety of mental health concerns that impede recovery. Psychiatric problems and behavioral abnormalities are 3-5 times more common in people who have been harmed, and they are a predictor of poor outcomes. It is crucial to begin further therapies as soon as possible. 

Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken at Dilla University Referral Hospital on an institutional basis. The data was collected via a face-to-face interview and the Kessler psychological distress scale (K-10) was used to assess psychological distress. A total of 366 people were chosen using simple random selection. SPSS21 was used to enter and evaluate the data. To find related factors, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used. Variables having a p-value of less than 0.05 were deemed statistically significant. 

Result: Out of all respondents, 114 (31.4%) of the individuals have experienced psychological anguish. Independent variables such as being female (adjusted odds ratio (AOR=5.8, 95 percent CI (3.5-11.1), being under 27 years old (AOR=2.34, 95 percent CI (1.89-3.68), being unable to read and write educational status, married (adjusted odds ratio (AOR=2.67(1.24- 5.34), poor social support (AOR=1.4, 95 percent CI (1.21-2.89), and poor sleep quality (AOR=1.5, 95 percent). 

Conclusion: The prevalence of psychological distress was high. Being female, having poor social support, and having a high PSQI score were significantly associated factors with psychological distress. It is good if clinicians emphasize orthopedic patients especially females and those having poor social support and low sleep quality symptoms.