Stress and common mental disorders among nursing workers

Abstract

Stress is referred in scientific studies as a significant factor in the determining health problems process, including health workers. The nursing team work, it's putted under stress and at the mercy of risks, among which the psychological and emotional. This study has had as an objective to examine the exposure to stress at work, with the outcome of the occurrence of common mental disorders (CMD) among professionals in nursing. This is a divided study carried out among 1.182 employees from a federal hospital located in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The independent variable ¾ stress at work ¾ has been investigated by the graduation summarized job stress scale, adapted to Portuguese by Alves and cols. The Model Demand–Control by Karasek and Theorell was used to assess the psychosocial dimensions studied. The dependent variable CMD was evaluated according to the reduced version of the Self Reporting Questionnaire. The CMD prevalence found was 23, 6% and 20,9% among the permanent workers and 26,4% between temporary (p = 0027). The CMD greatest prevalence was observed in females, among the young, more schooling and without children. Professionals working with high demand (high demand and low control) had 3,6 (95% CI: 1,95-6,61) CMD more times than those with low labor requirement (low demand and high control). At the variables labor, the great prevalence's were observed by professionals with mixed round, big load hourly and physical effort above average. In stratified analysis from stress category and demand and control degree at work, was observed clear dose response gradient type. It was observed association between the CMD and exposition to demand and control dimensions, after the control of confounders introduced by variables, sex, age, working hours, shift, level of physical exertion at work and employment. The results point to the need for measures to intervene in the organization of work in order to reduce stress at work promoting mental health.