Stress and coping among workers at psychosocial care centers in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo.

Background: Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS) are community-based facilities designed as a substitutive model to break with asylum-based care and aligned to the principles underlying the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde-SUS); thus they promote patient-centered care.

Objective: To establish the prevalence of stress and its association with biosocial characteristics and coping strategies within the work process of healthcare providers at CAPS in a city in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Method: Cross-sectional quantitative study involving administration of three questionnaires: biosocial, Work Stress Scale and a checklist of coping strategies. The sample comprised 193 healthcare providers from 11 different CAPS.

Results: Most participants were female, with average age 35 years old, single and without children. The levels of stress were rated high, with prevalence of 50.2%. The main associations found concern the participants' subjective appraisal of their job, particularly personal recognition and satisfaction. The coping strategies most frequently cited were problem-solving and social support.

Conclusion: We found high levels of stress in the analyzed population and association of stress mainly with biosocial characteristics.