Mental health and occupational health promotion: Perceptions of primary care workers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2179769293064Keywords:
Health Promotion, Mental Health, Occupational Health, Health Personnel, Primary Health CareAbstract
Objective: To understand the perceptions of primary health care workers regarding mental health and health promotion in the workplace. Method: Qualitative research with participatory action, based on Paulo Freire's Research Itinerary: thematic investigation, coding/decoding, and critical unveiling. Data were collected in two health units in Santa Catarina, Brazil, through six Culture Circles, between April and November 2020. Results: Mental health emerged as a central theme, unfolding into: mental health in current society; mental health in daily work life; and strategies for its promotion. Participants reported loneliness, lack of social bonds, and depression as barriers to mental health, highlighting the lack of institutional support and spaces for self-care. Conclusion: Strengthening and coordinating mental health promotion practices with the social determinants of health to achieve a balance between work and personal life.
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