Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective To analyze the factors associated with mental distress among health workers who cared for patients with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods A cross-sectional analytical study of national scope, carried out between in the second quarter of 2020. A total of 437 health professionals, who filled out an electronic form about sociodemographic data, occupational aspects, psychosocial characteristics of work and mental distress. Multiple logistic regression was performed to analyze the covariables associated with mental distress.Results There was a predominance of workers on the nursing team (65.0%), female (71.0%), from Southeastern region of the country (68.6%) and with no morbidities (36.2%). The prevalence of mental distress was 61.6%. Job strain was reported by 24% of participants, and the perception of low support from coworkers was described by 52.9%. The final multiple regression model showed that mental distress was associated with females (odds ratio - OR: 1.93; 95%CI: 1.22-3.07), age up to 40 years (OR: 1.64; 95%CI: 1.07-2.52), weekly working hours equal or over 60 hours (OR: 1.87; 95%CI: 1.15-3.11), job strain (OR: 2.45; 95%CI: 1.41-4.40) and low support from co-workers (OR: 3.47; 95%CI: 2.26-5.38).Conclusion Six out of ten participants presented mental distress, which was associated to both individual characteristics and factors related to the work carried out during the pandemic. There is an urgent need to map services that have such characteristics, to outline actions to promote mental health and prevent emotional distress at different levels of health care.
Highlights
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global state of emergency due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a rapidly spreading etiologic agent that causes severe disease.[1,2] It brought repercussions to people affected by the disease, and to healthcare workers responsible for their care
The recognition of the state of vulnerability, together with the uncertainties experienced in the pandemic period, can have a negative influence on the well-being of healthcare workers.[7]. Those who are in direct and frequent contact with patients with suspected or confirmed infection tend to present with a greater risk of psychological overload,(8) and development of both depressive and anxious conditions.[7,9,10] Brazilian data from the Instituto Nacional de Seguro Social (INSS) [National Institute of Social Security] indicate, in recent years, such diagnoses are the most frequent reasons for grant disability benefits due to psychiatric illnesses among workers in Brazil
The prevalence of mental suffering found in the present study is higher than that of other national surveys before the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, which analyzed samples of healthcare workers from different areas, and used the same cut-off point in the SRQ-20, indicating a prevalence variability between 21% and 42.6% of mental distress.[16,17,18] The higher rate of cases found in the present study can be explained by the aspects einstein (São Paulo). 2021;19:1-8
Summary
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global state of emergency due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a rapidly spreading etiologic agent that causes severe disease.[1,2] It brought repercussions to people affected by the disease, and to healthcare workers responsible for their care. Contamination and illness of professionals involved in patient care are realities in the pandemic, including the record of 364 deaths of healthcare workers due to this infection up to the 49th epidemiological week of 2020, in Brazil.[3] There is an urgent need to monitor these groups with greater potential for illness, based on the actions of specific sectors, such as the frontline of health care.[4]. Overcrowded units, lack of equipment, and beds for hospitalization, are problems in the organization of work that impacted the health of the teams in this pandemic context.[5,6] The psychosocial stressors at work can trigger negative emotions of the
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