Abstract

PEREIRA, Mafalda Manuela de Alvelos  and  GOMES, Antonio Rui Silva. Stress, burnout and cognitive appraisal: a study with nurses. Arq. bras. psicol. [online]. 2016, vol.68, n.1, pp. 72-83. ISSN 1809-5267.

This study analyzes the occupational stress in nurses, observing also the importance of cognitive appraisal in the adjustment to work contexts. In a single moment, evaluation protocols that included instruments of occupational stress, primary and secondary cognitive appraisals, burnout, and depressive symptomatology were applied to 153 nurses. Levels of occupational stress, burnout, and depressive symptomatology have confirmed that this activity is very demanding, both on emotional and psychological levels. The processes of cognitive appraisal were determining factors in the comprehension of occupational stress, burnout, and depressive symptomatology. Occupational stress and cognitive appraisals dimensions were predictors of the burnout experience. The results of this study pointed out the central role of the cognitive appraisals in the human adaptation to the work contexts and the usefulness of the transactional model in the study of occupational stress.

Keywords : Stress; Cognitive appraisal; Burnout; Depression.

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