Transtornos mentais comuns e estratégias de coping em trabalhadores de enfermagem de unidades de internação Covid-19

Abstract

Master's dissertation's theme: common mental disorders and coping strategies adopted by nursing staff regarding COVID-19. Objectives: to verify suspected common mental disorders in nursing staff in infirmaries and intensive therapy units of COVID-19; to identify coping strategies utilized by nursing staff regarding psychosocial stress in infirmaries and intensive therapy units of COVID-19; to analyze the relation between common mental disorders and the coping strategies adopted by the nursing staff regarding reducing the psychosocial stress. Method: quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive, exploratory study. There were 117 workers in the sample (nurses and licensed practical nurses). The place was a university hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro in which it was possible to find infirmaries and intensive therapy units for COVID-19 patients. In order to include the workers in the sample the following criteria were adopted: public employees and/or outsourced workers who worked assisting COVID-19 patients for at least a month. Licensed workers or on gardening leave for other reasons. The project was approved by the Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa. The data collection was made through fours instruments filled in by the participants themselves, which are the following: socio demographic and occupational characterization, data about COVID-19, the Self Report Questionnaire-20 (ORGANIZAÇÃO MUNDIAL DE SAÚDE, 1994) and the Occupational Coping scale (LATACK, 1986). Results: the sample was mainly formed by female persons, between 31 and 50 years old, living with their partners, high school education level and maximum 5 minimum wages as family income. They are licensed practical nurses hired temporarily, had two employment bonds, working shifts, 30-hours weekly workloads in the institution and 50-hours if considering the other employment bonds. The global suspicion of common mental disorders was found in 23,1% of the sample and the most frequent complaints were: "feeling nervous, tense or worried". Being in the front line to face COVID-19 was most of the time referred as the main cause of the identified complaints. Among the adopted coping strategies to reduce psychosocial stress, it was identified higher frequency of answers for actions and/or thoughts directed to control, as well as avoidance and handling of the symptoms. Conclusion: The global suspicion of common mental disorders found in 23,1% of the sample is like the studies that preceded the epidemic. The prevalence of anxious depressive humor and somatization suggest stress and risk of sickness. It is endorsed the importance of coping strategies as means of predicting psychosocial stress, making evident the importance to tackle the problem or in the regulation of the emotion in order to reduce the impacts of the pandemic in health. It is endorsed the relevance of actions related to prevention and therapy from institutions of security and well-being in the workspace in order to promote satisfaction, motivation, and well-being in the workspace in a pandemic situation which brings insecurity and risks to the physical and mental well-being of the professionals in the front-line.