Health and self-care of professionals working against gender-based violence: an analysis based on the grounded theory

Abstract

Introduction. Professionals working with victims of gender-based violence are exposed to highly stressing situations that can cause physical, psychological, and emotional health problems. Designing and implementing personal and institutional self-care measures is fundamental to address this problem. Objectives. a) To describe and analyze the repercussions of working with victims of violence on care professionals; b) to describe and analyze the factors that negatively affect the workers’ health and; c) to describe and analyze the personal and institutional care practices performed to mitigate those consequences. Method. We used a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory design in the framework of the grounded theory. The instrument used was a semi-structured interview created for this study. Twenty professionals involved in interventions with victims of gender-based violence were interviewed. Results. The results of this study show that professionals who work with care for victims of gender violence are victims of physical (tics, headaches, musculoskeletal problems, somatizations, etc.) and psychological (restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, etc.) problems related to their professional practice. The participants relate their health problems to variables such as the emotional impact of the issue, conflicts in the teams, and the job insecurity in the social sector. Discussion and conclusion. The occupational hazard prevention plans that public and private institutions implement need to include personal and institutional care measures to protect the health of the workers and the quality of the care provided.