A saúde mental dos/das jornalistas do Tocantins frente ao seu contexto de trabalho durante a pandemia por Covid19

Abstract

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the Pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which became popularly known as the new coronavirus or Covid-19. Without efficient pharmacological means to combat it, the effective measures to be taken immediately ranged from the adoption by countries of social isolation or the development of sanitary actions such as hand washing and the use of alcohol gel. This caused several professionals to have their work routines changed, including journalists. Therefore, this research seeks to discuss how the Covid-19 Pandemic changed their professional performance, whether or not it contributed to the emergence or intensification of the process of this worker's mental illness. Therefore, to carry out this study the following question was used. How did the work context during the Covid 19 Pandemic affect the mental health of Tocantins Journalists? The general objective of this proposal was to investigate how the work context during the Covid 19 Pandemic affected the mental health of Tocantins Journalists. The specific objectives were to evaluate how the work of Journalists from Tocantins in the initial years of the Covid 19 Pandemic (from March 2020 to December 2023) affected their mental health. To analyze the working conditions of Tocantins Journalists during the Covid 19 Pandemic and whether these affected their mental health. And discuss how Tocantins Journalists dealt with institutional gender relations in their workday during the Covid 19 Pandemic. It is worth highlighting that the nature of this study is qualitative and descriptive. Thus, as a methodological proposal, a field research was carried out using a semi-structured and individual interview script, which included the participation of 6 Journalists from Tocantins, 3 male and 3 female, with specific representation and diversified in each area of activity in this profession. To analyze the content extracted from this procedure, the Nvivo software was used, which together with the theoretical framework constructed to support the results of this section, will contribute to a reliable and crucial dialogue to satisfactorily answer the questions presented in this study. Thus, the results achieved show us that “in the first objective”, changing routine and action strategies to contain the virus, was a major challenge in the work process of these professionals. The fear of contracting the virus, of dying or transmitting it to family members, was a feeling that caused a lot of mental disturbance among those interviewed. “In the second objective”, the obstacles experienced in relation to working conditions, come from before the pandemic period, as in the statements of some interviewees, it was exposed that in certain experiences the professional received only the salary and had to pay out of their own pocket to obtain the tools and equipment necessary to carry out their work, among other issues. “In the third and end objective”, it was emphasized that when the subject is gender, this discussion dates back to before the pandemic period. Because women, regardless of their professional class, are always in a process of searching and fighting for their space in the job market and the weight and moral and social demands placed on them are very great. Simply because she is a woman, regardless of the overload of roles and functions she plays in her life. In this way, the path reached towards the end of this research leads us to the perception that the work context of Journalists, not only in Tocantins, but in large part, is permeated by a series of obstacles that greatly weaken the exercise of their profession. These obstacles interfere not only with mental health but also with the quality of life of these professionals.