Work processes and mental health: A study in primary care workers

Abstract

The psychodynamics of word investigate the conditions and work relations, the experiences of pleasure and worker suffering and its defensive strategies.The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of work processes on the mental health of workers in Primary Care in a municipality in the interior of Ceará. The study has a qualitative approach, developed from October to November 2020, in Morada Nova, Ceará, where semi-structured groups were identified with thirteen professionals from the Basic Health Unit Girilândia I and II. The empirical material generated was transcribed and analyzed using thematic content analysis technique. The thematic categories generated were: Factors that interfere with workers' mental health; Psychic suffering and resources to avoid illness. The results showed that daily work generates psychological distress due to factors linked to the work routine, such as incipient communication, multidisciplinary support in complex cases, work overload, and lack of recognition by workers. The need to develop actions aimed at worker health was evidenced, considering that this public has a significant degree of psychological distress due to the demands of work, and that there are initiatives in defense of health.