The impact of negative affects on the high prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress in healthcare professionals.

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric disorders are the conditions that most contribute to incapacity worldwide. While many healthcare professionals adapt in dealing with various demands, others do not. How much of these conditions is associated with affective experience needs to be studied.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress while investigating the relationship between the presence of positive and negative affect in healthcare professionals.

METHODS: This study's convenience sample consisted of 975 providers (including nursing, physicians, and multidisciplinary team) and administrative professionals (service and supervision teams) working at a general private hospital in Brazil. Data were collected in 2019 through a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-X). The results are shown through multinomial regression with odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, and P-value.

RESULTS: The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 49.4%, 46.1%, and 49.8%, respectively, showing high prevalence. It was observed that a high presence of negative affect is associated with a greater likelihood of developing anxiety, depression, and stress, while a high presence of positive affect is associated with a lower likelihood of depression and stress prevalence.

CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress in healthcare professionals is associated with the presence of negative affects. Mental disorders should be measured, and practices adopted to ensure well-being and job performance.