RT Journal Article
T1 Workers' Psychological Distress During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study
A1 Spröesser Alonso, Melissa
A1 Pereira Lima, Maria Cristina
A1 Dias, Adriano
A1 Carvalho Nunes, Hélio Rubens de
A1 Ruiz Frutos, Carlos
A1 Fagundo Rivera, Javier
A1 Gómez Salgado, Juan
A1 Bernardes, João Marcos
AB The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of workers.This study aimed to assess the prevalence of psychological distress among Brazilianworkers during the early months of the pandemic and explore its associated factors. Across-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire administered to 2903Brazilian workers, including 1752 non-healthcare workers (NHCWs) and 1151 healthcareworkers (HCWs), between April and May 2020. Snowball sampling was employed for participantrecruitment, and the research questionnaire was adapted for use with the Brazilianpopulation through a process of translation and cultural adaptation, based on an instrumentinitially created and validated for use in Spain. Differences between NHCWs and HCWswere tested using the chi-square or Fisher’s Exact test and Mann–Whitney test followed byeffect size measurement. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the associationbetween psychological distress and the predictor variables. Psychological distress wasobserved in 72.6% (95% CI 70.1–74.2%) of the participants, with no significant difference observedbetween NHCWs and HCWs. Although 32 variables showed statistically significantdifferences between NHCWs and HCWs, only 7 demonstrated clinical–epidemiologicalrelevance, primarily related to occupational factors. Work-related stress was positivelyassociated with psychological distress, but this relationship diminished in the absence offamily members infected with COVID-19. Conversely, a higher sense of coherence wasprotective against psychological distress, although this effect weakened in the absence offamily members infected with COVID-19. The study highlights the high prevalence ofpsychological distress among Brazilian workers during the pandemic’s early months. Workstress played a significant role, while sense of coherence appeared to mitigate mental healthchallenges. These findings highlight the need for targeted mental health interventions,particularly for workers facing both professional and family-related stressors during crises.
PB MDPI
SN 2076-328X (electrónico)
YR 2025
FD 2025-03
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/25210
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/25210
LA eng
NO Spröesser Alonso, M., Pereira Lima, M. C., Dias, A.,Carvalho Nunes, H. R. de, Ruiz-Frutos, C., Fagundo-Rivera, J., Gómez-Salgado, J., & Bernardes, J. M. (2025). Workers' Psychological Distress During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study. In Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 15, Issue 3, p. 358). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030358
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 31 may 2026