PREVALÊNCIA DE ANSIEDADE E DEPRESSÃO EM BOMBEIROS MILITARES

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Mental health problems have received increasing attention due to the psychological and physical impacts they cause. Among frontline workers, such as firefighters, constant exposure to stressful and risky situations favors the development of disorders such as anxiety and depression. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of anxiety and/or depression in firefighters in the city of Campo Grande - MS. METHOD: 78 military firefighters from units in Campo Grande, MS, participated in the study, 60 men (76.92%) and 18 women (23.08%). The HAD scale - Assessment of Anxiety and Depression Level - was used to assess the risk of anxiety and depression in these professionals. For anthropometric assessment, weight, height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) were measured. Participants were divided into two groups according to age: young adults (n=30; 18-39 years old) and adults (n=46; 40-65 years old). RESULTS: Adults presented a higher age and mean BMI than the young adult group (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively), and a more pronounced tendency towards overweight and obesity (p<0.001). Regarding the prevalence of anxiety and/or depression, there was no difference between the two groups studied (total score of the HAD scale (p=0.058); depression score (p=0.053) and anxiety score (p=0.133). CONCLUSION: In the sample of military firefighters studied, no difference in the prevalence of anxiety or depression was observed between the groups.