Abstract:
This study analyzed occupational stress among psychologists who worked in Primary Health Care during the COVID-19 pandemic and participants’ sociodemographic and work characteristics and their relationship with occupational stress. In total, 70 psychologists working in 51 basic health units in the West and Far West regions of Santa Catarina participated in this research. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the short version of the Job Stress Scale (JSS) were applied to collect data. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. In total, 35.7% of psychologists showed high stress at work; 28.6%, low burn out; 27.1%, passive work; and 8.6%, active work. The factors in the linear regression model that were associated with the JSS demand dimension referred to having children (coefficient −1.49; 95% CI −2.75 to −0.23) and absence from work in the last 12 months (coefficient 1.88; 95% CI 0.60 to 3.15). Psychologists with self-reported systemic arterial hypertension showed, on average, 3.96 points lower in the Social Support score (95% CI −7.06 to −0.85) than non-hypertensive ones and psychologists who worked in the morning shift, an average increase of 4.46 points in the Social Support score (95% CI 0.90 to 8.02) in relation to professionals working in the morning and afternoon shifts. A significant number of psychologists had high stress at work, with potential implications to their health and professional performance.
Keywords:
Occupational Stress; Psychology; Primary Health Care; Occupational Health
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