Common mental disorders among workers chronically exposed to pesticides: the case of workers involved in fighting endemic diseases

BACKGROUND: Common mental disorders are a considerable global public health concern and pose a high burden of disease especially in terms of years lived with disability (YLD). OBJECTIVE: To establish the prevalence of common mental disorders among workers involved in fighting endemic diseases in the state of Ceará, Brazil. METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study we administered the Self-Reporting Questionnaire 20, a screening tool for common mental disorders previously validated for use in Brazil. To calculate the sample size we considered the total number of workers involved in fighting endemic diseases in Fortaleza and four metropolitan municipalities. RESULTS: About 33.3% of the participants met the criteria for common mental disorders. The questionnaire section on depressive and anxiety symptoms exhibited the highest frequency of affirmative answers. The prevalence ratio was highest for the participants in Caucaia (PR=2.13). CONCLUSION: The results indicate a previously unknown and considerable morbidity profile. The present was the first study that investigated common mental disorders in this occupational group.