Mental health interventions performed by nurses in Primary Health Care: analysis according to professional profile

To identify the variables related to nurses' perception of recognizing mental health needs and implementing interventions in the context of Primary Health Care.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 239 nurses from Primary Health Care. The identified interventions were grouped into three components: universal interventions; interventions specific to mental health and psychiatry; and educational and managerial interventions. Participants assessed the feasibility of implementation, its relevance to their scope of work, and their self-perception of capability to perform the interventions, responding to a structured instrument that underwent content review by experts and a pilot test, which showed satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.77-0.90). Cluster analysis was used to identify distinct professional profiles regarding the perception of attribution, feasibility, capability, and frequency of performance of the interventions. Subsequently, log-binomial regression was applied to analyze the association between the variables of interest and the identified clusters.

Among the participants, 48.4% reported daily care for mental health demands, with anxiety being the most prominent (71.1%). Cluster analysis indicated that younger professionals and those with specific training in chemical dependency had higher scores in all investigated components. The component related to specific interventions in mental health had the lowest scores and perception of competence.

It is necessary to increase investments in the training and capacity building of nurses to carry out mental health interventions in Primary Health Care.