Objective:

To analyze the factors associated with common mental disorders (CMD) in primary care female nursing professionals.

Methods:

We performed exploratory cross-sectional study, using a structured questionnaire, applied to 451 primary care female nursing professionals from five municipalities of Bahia, Brazil, in a randomly selected sample. The outcome variable (CMD) was evaluated by SRQ-20. To analyze the factors associated with the prevalence of CMD, logistic regression analysis was used in blocks.

Results:

The prevalence of CMD was 16.2% and the exposure factors were professional category (PR 0.56, CI 0.34–0.90, p = .01), having a workload of more than 60 h per week (PR 2.53, CI 1.55–4.11, p < .01), personal insecurity at work (PR 1. 92, CI 1.28–2.88, p = .00), high domestic overload (PR 1.94, CI 1.25–2.98, p < .01), effort-reward imbalance at work (PR 1. 78, CI 0.98–3.23, p = .05), dissatisfaction with oneself (PR 2.30, CI 1.52–3.46, p <.01), poor quality of life (PR 1. 69, CI 1.07–2.65, p = .02), and negative health status self-assessment (PR 1.77, CI 1.12–2.77, p = .01).

Conclusions:

The results reinforce the evidences of the relation between the health-disease process and work, be it professional or domestic. They also highlight the importance of changes in the organization of the nursing activities in the context of primary care, aiming to minimize stress and occupational dissatisfaction and promote the health of this category. It is noteworthy that domestic work should be considered and incorporated into investigations regarding the mental health of female population.