Community health agents and covid-19 pandemic: knowledge, prevention and coping with depressive symptoms ; Agentes comunitários de saúde e pandemia da covid-19: conhecimento, prevenção e enfrentamento de sintomas depressivos

Objective: to identify knowledge of community health agents about depressive symptoms, prevention and coping strategies in the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: descriptive, exploratory research, based on action research, developed with 10 community health agents. The collection took place in February and March 2022. Two thematic seminars were conducted, started from triggering questions on the theme of the study. Content analysis was used. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Piauí. Results: knowledge about depressive symptoms was expressed by social isolation, despair, fear, loss of interest and pleasure in one’s own life, and common psychosomatic events in anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic was suggestive for the development or intensification of depressive symptoms. The prevention strategies were: physical activity, leisure, maintenance of healthy eating habits and spirituality. The coping strategies were: use of technologies, drug prescription and psychotherapy. Final thoughts: the knowledge of community health agents about depressive symptoms resulted from their experience and/or follow-up of individuals and/or family members who presented these symptoms. The social, economic, labor and health impacts imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic were presented as precursors to their development or intensification. ; Objetivo: identificar conhecimentos dos agentes comunitários de saúde acerca dos sintomas depressivos, estratégias de prevenção e enfrentamento na pandemia de COVID-19. Método: pesquisa descritiva, exploratória, fundamentada na pesquisa-ação, desenvolvida com 10 agentes comunitários de saúde. A coleta ocorreu nos meses de fevereiro e março de 2022. Realizaram-se dois seminários temáticos, conduzidos por questões disparadoras sobre a temática do estudo. Utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Universidade Federal do Piauí. Resultados: o conhecimento sobre sintomas depressivos foi expresso pelo isolamento social, ...