Working conditions and common mental disorders in physicians in Brazil

Common mental disorders (CMD) are a marker of work-related psychiatric morbidity. Previous studies have shown a high prevalence in Brazilian health care settings.

To assess the prevalence of CMD and their associated factors in a group of physicians working at a public health unit in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

CMD were evaluated using the self-reporting questionnaire-20 (SQR-20), developed by the World Health Organization and validated for Brazil. The questionnaire consists of 20 questions: four about physical symptoms and 16 about emotional symptoms. Prevalence was calculated as a percentage of physicians with CMD. Poisson univariate and multivariate regression models were applied to assess associated factors.

Analysis was based on 227 physicians who answered the SRQ-20 (97% response rate). The prevalence of CMD was 24%. Dissatisfaction and commitment to work remained positively associated with CMD. Having more than one job and significant social support from peers and superiors remained negatively associated with CMD.

Prevalence of CMD is in a similar range to that reported in other countries and in Brazil generally. Aspects related to work were the only ones that were independently associated with CMD. Work-related aspects and the motivation of physicians are important and need to be taken into account to ensure that physicians remain healthy.