Work and depression symptoms in Family Health Strategy nurses

Abstract

Goals: Verify the presence and intensity of depression symptoms; analyze triggering factors and evaluate the perception of nurses regarding their psychological distress and their working conditions. Method: Exploratory and descriptive study, quantitative, performed with Family Health Strategy nurses in the city of São Paulo, interviews by means of a semi-structured questionnaire using three psychometric scales, statistical analysis by Fisher’s exact test and the t-Student test. Results: 59 nurses participated and an expressive majority presented depression symptoms without realizing they were ill. The key factors mentioned were related to their working conditions. Conclusion: A high prevalence of depression symptoms was observed due to working conditions.