Inteligência emocional de trabalhadores de saúde do contexto hospitalar durante a pandemia de Covid-19

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic had numerous consequences for health workers who worked on the front line of care for victims of the disease, especially with regard to mental health. In this sense, emotional intelligence skills, such as self-control, perception of one's own emotions and emotion management, may have influenced coping with these stressors and the ability to make decisions in critical situations. The objective, therefore, was to analyze the level of emotional intelligence of health workers in Brazilian hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as their related factors. This is a cross-sectional and analytical study carried out in 2021, in the online modality, with health professionals who worked during the pandemic in Brazilian public and private hospitals. A sociodemographic/occupational questionnaire and the self-report instrument of Emotional Intelligence entitled Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) - Brazilian version were applied, whose total score ranges from 33 to 165. The total scores of the EI level can also be categorized in: low (33 to 70), moderate (77 to 121) and high (122 to 165). Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Mean and standard deviation of quantitative variables and simple frequencies and percentage of qualitative variables were calculated. The nonparametric U tests of Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis were used to compare the sum of the points occupied by the values in each of the dimensions of the SSEIT according to sociodemographic and occupational variables. Associations and differences with p<0.05 were considered significant. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (no 4,784,245). A total of 81 health professionals participated in the study, the majority being women, with an average age of 40 years, from Fortaleza, from the Nursing and post-graduate category, with a greater participation of professionals from the Neonatology and Obstetrics units. A high level of emotional intelligence was found among the participants (total score=132.76) and a significant difference between the groups in the variables Professional Category, Type of hospital and Sector of operation (p < 0.05). There was an important difference in the total emotional intelligence score between nursing technicians and physicians; professionals from federal public hospitals; in addition to a lower average in the Pediatrics services and a higher one in the outpatient clinic. Satisfied and very satisfied workers had higher levels of emotional intelligence. It is concluded that the sample showed a high level of EI, mainly related to the professional category, the type of hospital and the sector in which it operates. It is suggested that this study be continued in other nursing practice environments.