Prevalence of anxiety and depression in Brazilian Primary Health Care workers

Abstract

Introduction: The update of the National Primary Health Care in 2017 brought important setbacks to the Brazilian health system, hindering professional performance and favoring the psychological illness of workers. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in primary health care workers. Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 in a large city in the interior of the state of São Paulo. We evaluated 173 professionals from Primary Health Care teams, using a questionnaire with sociodemographic and professional variables; the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI); and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Results: Anxiety was present in 45.3% of the professionals, with 25.0% having mild anxiety, 9.9% having moderate anxiety, and 10.5% having severe anxiety. Depression was present in 41.0% of professionals, 28.9% with mild depression, and 12.1% with moderate depression. There was a higher prevalence of anxiety (17.3%) and depression (28.3%) among community health workers and a lower prevalence of anxiety (1.2%) and depression (0.6%) among doctors. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in Primary Health Care professionals, especially in community health workers. Municipal managers should implement measures to care for workers' health, as well as ensure favorable working conditions, to prevent the professionals from becoming ill.