Abstract
The environmental characteristics and the way work is organized in specialized health centers can lead to stressful situations and have negative effects on the workers’ health. The aim of the study was to evaluate the mental health of health professionals working at the specialized network of Aracaju, state of Sergipe, Brazil, and situations of occupational stress based on the effort-reward model. It is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2011 among 94 health professionals working at two specialized care centers. A questionnaire containing demographic and economic variables, the situation and working environment, occupational stress assessments (using Effort-Reward Imbalance) and a Self-Reporting Questionnaire were used to measure common mental disorders. There was a high prevalence of common mental disorders (50.6%), which were more frequent among speech therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists, and among those who reported being dissatisfied with their pay and work conditions. All professionals who mentioned imbalance between their efforts and their rewards at work presented common mental disorders. In sum, working characteristics unfavorable to the professionals and to the performance of their duties were identified, as was a high prevalence of common mental disorders. Programs aimed at the protection, enhancement and promotion of the workers’ health must be implemented in order to improve their quality of life at work.
Keywords
stress; medical specialties center; mental disorders; psychosocial factors at work