Abstract

SHAROVSKY, Lilian Lopes et al. (Not) taking care of themselves: how nurses perceive the task of providing care. Est. Inter. Psicol. [online]. 2014, vol.5, n.2, pp. 96-112. ISSN 2236-6407.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5433/2236-6407.2014v5n2p96.

We aim, in this study, at comprehending the perceptions of professional nurses about what taking care of themselves and of others means, as well as to know their perception of the influence of their professional work in the triggering of depression. This is a qualitative research, carried out in a tertiary hospital in São Paulo City. The participants were six female nurses workers, withdrawn from patient assistance due to their depression diagnoses. Semi- structured interview as used and the sample was defined by saturation criterion. The technical data processing was done through content analysis of the transcribed interviews in order to identify answer categories. Four categories were identified: 1)Emotional overload 2) Worries about humanization and patient global assistance, 3) Overload in working environment and urgency to adapt, 4) Providing care was considered as calling. The participants didn`t attribute their mental illness exclusively to their daily work with patients, but to the sum of existential conflicts. The findings of this study can contribute to the development of specific psychological intervention strategies for this population to promote wellbeing and prevent complications in mental health.

Keywords : depression; humanization of assistance; nurses.

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