Psychosocial impacts on health workers: narratives 10 years after the disaster

Abstract

The article aims to understand the psychosocial impacts experienced by health workers after a disaster situation in the state of Santa Catarina in Southern region of Brazil. To that end, a qualitative study of multiple cases and narrative interviews with professionals from mental health services, primary health care, and municipal managers in Itajaí, Blumenau, and Rio do Sul was carried out. The analysis of the narratives followed the steps of the Fritz Schütze method. The psychosocial impacts on the health and work of respondents, directly and/or indirectly affected by the natural disaster that happened in 2008 in the region, and subsequent events of lesser intensity, were described. In the three cases the impacts were perceived similarly, although the consequences of the event in the municipal network were faced differently in each location. The results reveal the importance of promoting health at work and developing personal skills, resilience in the face of adverse situations, and need for continuing and constant education.