Abstract

CORDEIRO, Raúl; CALHA, António; MOURAO, Cláudia  and  CAMOES, Fátima. Stress and coping strategies in health professionals . Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2020, n.spe7, pp.09-16. ISSN 1647-2160.  https://doi.org/10.19131/rpesm.0241.

BACKGROUND: The specificities of work in health organizations and, in particular, the levels of stress to which professionals are subjected have consequences for their health condition. Occupational stress reduction measures are part of clinical governance strategies as a quality improvement process involving fundamental principles of excellence, such as results orientation, continuous improvement and social responsibility, and focus on the health and well-being of people / contributors. AIM: To evaluate the main sources of stress and coping strategies used by health professionals in the development of their professional activity. METHODS: This is a descriptive and exploratory study with convenience sample to different health professionals. Two instruments were used to collect data: Stress Questionnaire for Health Professionals; and Brief COPE. The questionnaire was sent by e-mail after the collection between the months of May and June of 2018. The data were treated and analyzed using SPSS. All ethical procedures were ensured during the process. RESULTS: The most critical stress dimensions reported by health professionals were: career, remuneration, overwork and dealing with clients. The most mentioned coping strategies were: active coping, planning and positive reinterpretation. Substance use was the least referred. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained allow the identification of a particular vulnerability of health professionals to professional stress factors associated with career and working conditions. It was also possible to establish a relatively consensual response to stress in health professionals: the negative impact on health, in particular on mental health, with adverse consequences for the entire clinical governance process.

Keywords : Stress; Coping; Health professionals.

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