The mental health of professionals in the health area: a study carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The health professionals are constantly exposed to risky factors of deteriorating mental health. Specially during the COVID-19 pandemic, these factors increased considerably. According to this, the results presented in this search aim to point factors related to work that cause deterioration of the mental health in this professional category, starting of the data collection that happened during the pandemic. Thus, there was an ociodemographic questioning on 146 health professionals, including both gender in two public hospitals. There was also a questioning about work occupations in order to identify what can develop the changes in the quality of life. In the results, the female gender was predominant; married ladies, mothers, that were nurses, referring to the work place and people relation, the subjects told the work environment were not calm; however, circa of 40% of the answers about work did not appoint an issue in the relationship with workmates and theirs bosses. About the cognitive function, the same subjects related the job required skills and specific knowledge, and that was a challenge. The professionals appointed the doing of the work in a fast and intense pace, besides controversial requirements in the work environment. Stands out that more than 50% of the subjects of the search said that their families were infected by the COVID-19 during the pandemic, and their income decreased during this time. The facts presented are related with the work conditions that can negatively interfere in the mental health of the workers, according to the literature. It is expected that the results exposed can help in decisions made by bosses and the making of the needed psychologic interventions, to the point of minimizing the negative impact at work and be a preventive thing.