Abstract
Introduction:
as the role of community health workers (CHW) is recognized to health system objectives it is clear the concern about prevalence of psychological symptoms among these workers, urging the identification of indicators that can be modified in favor of CHWs' mental health.
Objective:
to examine associations between the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) and work conditions among CHWs inserted into the primary health care of the city of Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Method:
random and representative sample that included 196 individuals. Data was collected through a Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and a self-administered questionnaire containing blocks related to sociodemographic questions, occupational and lifestyle habits. Multivariate analysis adopted hierarchical input of variables and Poisson regression with robust variance estimate.
Results:
the prevalence of CMD was 26.5% and it was associated with high job demands, reports of aggression against workers and dissatisfaction with personal relationships.
Conclusion:
the association of significance regarding job demands at work is worrisome because it would be possible to design CHWs' work without having them exceeding their limits. Adequacy of the organizational model and redesign of tasks can contribute positively to CHWs' mental health.
Keywords:
worker's health; mental health; community health workers; mental disorders; SRQ-20
