DEPRESSÃO E ANSIEDADE EM SERVIDORES PÚBLICOS DA JUSTIÇA DA PARAÍBA APÓS A PANDEMIA DE COVID-19

Abstract

This study verified the presence of symptoms of depression and anxiety and associated factors in a sample of public servants after the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an epidemiological, quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive research. An online protocol was used, consisting of a sociodemographic/occupational/health questionnaire and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), applied between April and May, 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes were carried out, with aid of the IBM SPSS Statistics software. 194 public servants from Paraíba Court of Justice participated, with an average age of 47 (SD=8.3 years old); the majority were female (55.7%). 47.9% expressed symptoms of depression and 49.6% symptoms of anxiety, ranging from mild to extremely severe levels. 75.8% were infected by COVID-19. At the significance level of p<0.10, it was observed that symptoms of depression were associated with the variables skin color (p=0.07) and length of service (p=0.06). The gender variable was associated with anxiety (p=0.10). Age, schooling, marital status, professional category and way of working were not statistically evidenced. People who had been infected by COVID-19 did not show a significant association with symptoms of depression (p=0.12) and anxiety (p=0.44). The presence of depression and anxiety among public servants of the Paraíba judiciary had high levels. The evidence demonstrates that having been infected by COVID-19 was not statistically related to the existence of depressive and anxious symptoms after the pandemic period.