Promoção de saúde mental mediadas pelas experiências de extensionistas em uma brinquedoteca hospitalar

Abstract

The implementation of hospital playrooms is an action recommended by the National Humanization Policy, however while these practices are beneficial for the academic and professional development of students, they are also susceptible to the stresses of transition to adulthood and graduation challenges, that are added to those of the hospital environment, especially with regard to the death process and coping with grief. However, the use of playfulness and practices of relaxation, pleasure and connection with the other arouse positive sensations, as well as experiences of happiness, tranquility and satisfaction. We sought to identify the promotion of mental health in the academics of an extension project through their experiences in a hospital toy library. Mixed methods research, with a quantitative-qualitative, exploratory, transversal approach, of a basic strategic nature and developed by sending na online questionnaire to the program's extension staff. Extension workers from 2017 to 2019 who were part of at least 3 months of activities were included in the survey. The data obtained were tabulated and processed in Excel 2016, analyzed by the SPSS version 23 for Windows program. Bardin's Content Analysis technique was used in the qualitative analysis. 43 extension workers participated. Most of the extension workers' profile is characterized by people aged between 22 and 27, female, cisgender, heterosexual, white or brown, living in Maceió - Alagoas, with diverse family income, graduating from private schools, who did not receive a scholarship. academic financial institution at the university, attended a full-time course and reported performing activities promoting mental health for 1 to 3 hours a week. The main activities of the toy library carried out by the project participants were free play, therapeutic workshops and storytelling. The development of affinity with hospitalized children/adolescentes and family members was observed. An agglutination of feelings was identified among the extension workers, predominantly positive feelings, but also negative ones. Most of the students indicated satisfaction with their psychological well-being during the activities in the project and agreement on the practices being a mental health promotion factor for them. However, the reports brought in complement that positive feelings do not cancel out the negative ones, since dealing with the hospitalization situation generates uncomfortable emotions, while the act of contributing to soften the impact of this process and working with playfulness generate comforting emotions. The results point to the need for an offer of support and care for this group. Thus, this study suggests promoting actions to guide extension workers on the stressful situations that involve caring in the pediatric clinic.