Morte como desafio afetivo para o profissional da saúde: ansiedade e sentimentos de quem lida com o paciente terminal com câncer

It is a Cross-sectional and multi-disciplinary study whose population selection was made by department of human resources (composed by a Manager, an Oncologist and a Psychologist) from the hospital where this research was realized. They also collaborated with important information about the work of that professionals in the hospital. We also counted on a Statistic who made study design calculating the sample and analyzing data. This research issued Evaluating health professionals anxiety levels who care for cancer terminally ill and their feelings about that work as well as identifying the factors which have influence on it. 100 health professionals from the Hospital which is a reference on cancer caring in Brazil situated in the city of Natal, state of Rio Grande do Norte, participated of this research. There was a sample loss of 21%. Data were collected through a questionnaire and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results showed that 15% of the professionals have low State Anxiety levels, 70% Medium State Anxiety levels and 15% high State anxiety levels. The Number of Patients and Working in another Institution have interfered in the anxiety levels. Doctors and Nursing Assistants and Technicians have got the highest high State Anxiety percentage (25%). 73% of them declare to feel some sort of different behavior and/or feelings in caring for terminally ill. The most remarkable professionals feelings were Suffering and Sadness, and Terminally ill Children was the most difficult age group to care for. We conclude that work overload and having more than one job can interfere in professional stress levels and anxiety. Dealing with terminally ill, specially children one, can cause on the professionals psychological suffering. It s recommended the development of supporting and training strategies to reduce and/or to prevent Stress and Anxiety high levels

Mães de neonatos pré-termo hospitalizados: avaliação do apoio social e da sintomatologia ansiogênica

Social support is an important factor throughout one s life, especially in times of crisis. Premature delivery can be considered a crisis, followed by neonatal hospitalization. This type of birth is associated with elevated anxiety, representing risks to maternal mental health and mother-infant relationship. This research aims to investigate whether a relationship exists between perceived social support and the expression of anxiety in mothers of premature, hospitalized newborns. This is a cross-sectional, correlational study, conducted during the period of April to October 2011, using a convenience sample. The sample consisted of seventy mothers with preterm, hospitalized newborns and seventy mothers of full-term newborns. The instruments used were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Social Support Scale. The results demonstrated a weak negative relationship between intensity-State Anxiety and emotional support as well as a negative relationship in intensity between low to moderate-Trait Anxiety, social support and its dimensions (material support, emotional, information, interaction positive social and emotional). These suggest that the better the perception of social support, the less severe anxiogenic symptoms will be, and the converse is also true. It is noteworthy, therefore, the importance of social support, as well as the importance of health professionals to be aware not only of the physical health of the newborn, but also the psychosocial aspects that pervade the context of preterm birth followed by hospitalization