[Work psychosocial aspects and psychological distress among nurses].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the association between psychological demand and job control and demand with psychological distress among nurses.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study included 502 female nurses working in a public hospital at the city of Salvador, state of Bahia, Brazil. The Demand-Control Model proposed by Karasek to evaluate the association between job control-demand and psychological distress was adopted. The SRQ-20 was used to measure psychological distress.


RESULTS
The prevalence of psychological distress was 33.3%, ranging from 20.0% among lady nurses to 36.4%, among nurse assistants. Strong dose-response gradients were observed between demand and psychological distress and the negative association between job control and psychological distress. Prevalence of psychological distress was higher (PR=2.6; 95% CI: 1.81-3.75) among professionals in high-strain jobs (high demand, low control) when compared to professionals in low-strain jobs (low demand, high control), after adjustment by potential confounders in a logistic multiple regression model.


CONCLUSIONS
Study findings reinforce the relevance of intervening in the organizational structure in order to increase control upon job and adjust the levels of psychological demands.
Araújo
Tânia M
TM
Núcleo de Epidemiologia, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, BA, Brasil. araujotania@hotmail.com
Aquino
Estela
E
Menezes
Greice
G
Santos
Cristiane Oliveira
CO
Aguiar
Lia
L
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009728:Nursing Assistants; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology*