Introduction: Healthcare workers in both the public and private systems were on the front line of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence, they faced uncertainty, heavy demand, excessive working hours, and the fear of contracting the virus.
Objectives: To investigate the occurrence of psychological distress among public and private healthcare workers at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: An observational, quantitative study was conducted from April to June of 2020, enrolling workers who had cared for suspected and confirmed cases of covid-19 in Brazil. Psychological distress was assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. Associations between the outcome and independent variables were analyzed using the chi-square test.
Results: Majorities of the 400 healthcare workers studied were nursing professionals (69.8%), worked in the Southeast region of Brazil (69.5%), were affiliated to a public healthcare institution (71.8%), and had a mean working week of 45.81 hours. The rate of psychological distress in the sample was 56.8%. There was no statistically significant association between the outcome and the type of organization (public/private). There were associations between psychological distress and professional category and between psychological distress and prior comorbidities.
Conclusions: There was evidence of impact on mental wellbeing irrespective of care level or setting. Psychological distress was one of the greatest challenges faced by the healthcare workers during the pandemic, irrespective of the type of institution, and was a phenomenon of relevance to occupational health in general during the pandemic.
Introdução: Os trabalhadores de saúde das redes pública e privada estiveram na linha de frente no combate à pandemia de covid-19, com consequente enfrentamento de incertezas, altas demandas, cargas horárias excessivas e medo de contrair o vírus.
Objetivos: Investigar a ocorrência de sofrimento mental entre trabalhadores da assistência à saúde pública e privada no início da pandemia de covid-19.
Métodos: Estudo observacional quantitativo, realizado entre abril e junho de 2020, incluindo trabalhadores que atuaram no atendimento aos casos suspeitos e confirmados de covid-19 no território brasileiro. O sofrimento mental foi avaliado por meio do Self-Reporting Questionnaire. Foi analisada a associação entre o desfecho e as variáveis independentes por meio do teste do qui-quadrado.
Resultados: Entre os 400 profissionais de saúde, a maioria era da enfermagem (69,8%), atuantes na região Sudeste do país (69,5%), vinculados a uma instituição na rede pública de saúde (71,8%) e com jornada de trabalho média de 45,81 horas semanais. A taxa de sofrimento mental foi de 56,8% no grupo. Não houve associação estatisticamente significativa entre o desfecho e o tipo de organização (pública/privada). Houve associação entre sofrimento mental, categoria profissional e relato de comorbidades prévias.
Conclusões: Evidenciou-se que, independentemente do nível ou local de assistência, houve impacto no bem-estar mental. O sofrimento mental foi um dos grandes desafios enfrentados pelos trabalhadores de saúde durante a pandemia, independentemente da natureza da instituição, sendo um fenômeno relevante à saúde do trabalhador em geral na situação de pandemia.
Keywords: covid-19; mental disorders; mental health; occupational health; occupational health surveillance.