Prevalence and factors associated with minor psychiatric disorders in hospital housekeeping workers*

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Investigating the prevalence and factors associated with minor psychiatric disorders (MPDs) in Hospital housekeeping workers. METHOD A cross-sectional study carried out in 2013 with workers from the cleaning service of a public university hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected through a form containing sociodemographic, occupational, habits and health variables. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 was used in order to evaluate MPDs. RESULTS The study population consisted of 161 workers. The overall prevalence of suspected MPD was 29.3%. The chances of suspected MPDs were higher in workers with Effort-Reward Imbalance, those who did not have time or who occasionally had time for leisure activities, and those taking medications. CONCLUSION The prevalence of MPDs was similar to that found in the literature for health workers. Therefore, we consider it important to include these workers in institutional programs for continuing health education.