Saúde mental e contexto hospitalar: uma investigação em técnicos de enfermagem

Abstract

Nursing technicians are prone to mental illness at work on a daily basis, because of overwork and contact with people in distress. A review of the databases indicated a shortage of research on this group, focusing on mental health and work. With the objective of closing this gap, this thesis aimed to understand how the work context has influenced the mental health of nursing technicians in hospitals in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Therefore, three studies were developed. The first one identified which factors contribute to mental health in the work of these professionals, from the scientific literature. The second and third article investigated the work context and its repercussions on the mental health of nursing technicians in public and private hospitals, respectively. The results indicated that the group presents: work overload, excessive charges and rhythm, lack of recognition from the teams and from the institutions studied. Emphasis was placed on the social utility of work. The empirical data confirm the literature, indicating in this group the predominance of suffering factors in detriment to those of health, in the hospital context. It is suggested the need for listening spaces to give active voice to these workers, in order to alleviate the mental suffering associated with work.