Impacts on the Mental Health of Professionals in a Prisonal System in Alagoas During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: In the fight against the new coronavirus, prison system workers around the world have faced difficulties, including high risk of contamination, excessive working hours. inadequate and sometimes with ineffective protective measures against virus infection, generating frustration and exhaustion. Factors such as these contribute to emotional exhaustion and an increased risk of psychiatric illness. Based on the scientific evidence, with little to very little research on public prison workers, there are indications to speculate that the mental health condition of prison workers may also be affected during the COVID-19 outbreak. Objective: To evaluate the impacts of the pandemic generated by COVID-19 on the mental health of professionals in the prison system in the city of Maceió/Alagoas. Methodology: This is a prospective descriptive quantitative research. The research was carried out online with the research subjects being workers in the prison system in the city of Maceió. Inclusion criteria include any worker in the prison system in Maceió/Alagoas. Professionals who do not have internet access via cell phone, computer or tablet will be excluded from the survey; professionals with impaired cognitive capacity that prevents them from answering the questionnaire and illiterate professionals. A questionnaire was carried out to characterize the sample with questions about age, biological sex, ethnicity, income, profession, workload, whether you have a diagnosis of anxiety/depression or whether you are undergoing or have undergone psychiatric treatment, who you live with, whether you have /had a family member infected, if he was infected and, finally, if he had to isolate himself from his family for some reason. Results: it is observed that, of the 38 participants, 71.1% (n =27) do not have a diagnosis of anxiety/depression, while 26.3% (n=10) have such a diagnosis. Regarding psychiatric treatment, 73.7% (n=28) do not or have never had it and 23.7% (n=9) have or have already had this treatment. The presence of some degree of anxious mood was answered by 84.2% (n=32), while 15.8% (n=6) denied having this symptom. In addition, symptoms such as tension, insomnia, intellectual difficulties and depressed mood were reported by more than 60% (n=23) of study participants. Conclusion: The effects of the pandemic are perceived even more sensitively in the prison system. The need for confrontation and resolutive measures in the face of the negative repercussions on the mental health of health professionals in the prison system is essential.