Abstract
Moral Distress (MD) is experienced by individuals from the contradiction existing between their actions and convictions. This study aimed to analyze the moral distress experienced by nursing professionals working at the CAPS and to describe and identify the feelings resulting from MD and coping mechanisms. This is a qualitative research that adopted the Bardin Content Analysis method. Seven Nursing professionals of both CAPS shifts participated in the research. Four categories emerged from the thematic analysis of the statements of these professionals, as follows: Environment as a source of moral distress; Shortage of funding and improvisations; Feelings that emerged from the experiences of Moral Distress and Coping Mechanisms of professionals. In this study, we observed that Macapá's Gentileza CAPS professionals experience MD in their daily life, associated with structural environment issues and insufficient (human and material) resources that resulted in feelings of helplessness, discouragement, demotivation, and struggle. This MD allowed these professionals to build coping mechanisms against moral distress, such as dialogue and sharing anguish with the team.
Key words
Psychological stress; Nursing; Mental health services