IMPACT OF NIGHT SHIFT ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF NURSES IN PUBLIC HOSPITALS

• Autor(a) principal: Aragão, José Aderval
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Mendonça, Deise Maria Furtado de, Leite Flôr, Eduardo, Cunha, Mariana Silva, Sant’Anna Aragão, Felipe Matheus, Sant’Anna Aragão, Iapunira Catarina, Silva Andrade, Jéssica Cândido, Marqueti, Laíssa Helena, Corrêa Feitosa, Vera Lúcia, Prado Reis, Francisco
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences
• Texto Completo: https://bjihs.emnuvens.com.br/bjihs/article/view/906
• topic: Saúde Pública; Transtornos Mentais Comuns; Saúde mental; Public Health; Common Mental Disorders; Mental Health

Introduction: Nurses are professionals who face great stress during their workday, making them more susceptible to developing mental disorders. This situation is further complicated for nurses who work night shifts in hospitals. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression in nurses who work night shifts in public hospitals. Material and methods: For this, a sociodemographic information questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used. Results: The sample consisted of 85 permanent nurses from four public hospitals, located in the city of Aracaju, Sergipe. Of the participating nurses, 83.5% were women. The average age was 35.7 years and the number of hours worked per week was 36.7. 69.4% had two or more jobs and 97.3% expressed unsatisfaction with their salary. Only 36.5% had a postgraduate degree. The average length of service in the hospitals surveyed was 90.5 months. It was found that 42.4% of nurses had anxiety, with the majority experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, and 34.1% had symptoms of depression. Most nurses with symptoms of anxiety and depression were between 25 and 39 years old, with anxiety being more prevalent between 25 and 29 years old (22.2%) and depression between 30 and 34 years old (24.1%). Nurses worked 20 to 44 hours a week, with the majority working 36 hours (57.6%), and this group had higher levels of anxiety (25.9%) and depression (21.2%). Nurses with two or more jobs had higher rates of anxiety (69.4%) and depression (30.5%). Conclusion: This study observed that most nurses were young females. The combination of age and low salary likely resulted in longer working hours and a reduced pursuit of specialization. The number of night shift workers who presented symptoms of anxiety and depression was high, indicating a need to improve working conditions and wages, as well as greater attention from the government to this part of society.