Unemployment and psychological distress in nurses

Objective: to assess psychological distress in nurses searching for their first job, especially symptoms of depression, and identify the factors that caused mental suffering, and how these nurses cope with the situation. Method: this was a qualitative study carried out with unemployed nurses who had graduated less than two years before the time of the study, and were residents of the town of Assis in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. Data were gathered by means of semi- structured interviews, content analysis, and application of the Beck Depression Inventory psychometric scale. Results: of the 14 nurses that participated, three had scores on the psychometric scale indicative of depression. Participants reported psychological distress related to unemployment, poor university education, and surplus labor due to the large number of graduates and lack of jobs, as well as a culture of employment centered on professionals' social networks. The unemployed nurses did not have effective ways of coping. Conclusion: unemployment promoted psychological distress among the new nurses, especially symptoms of depression, without effective means of coping.