Nursing

Context (archaeology)

Thematic analysis

Subjectivity

Precarious work

Engineering

Philosophy

Gender studies

Archaeology

Psychiatry

Neoliberalism (international relations)

Qualitative research

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Mechanical engineering

Politics

Geography

Political science

Work (physics)

Epistemology

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Political economy

Sociology

Mental health

Medicine

Pandemic

Disease

Pathology

Social science

Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP

Objective: to understand how the contradictions and tensions of neoliberal policy, materialized in precarious work, affect nursing workers’ mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: this is a study with a qualitative and descriptive approach, analyzed in the light of neoliberal economic policy. Data were collected through virtual means, with the participation of 719 nursing workers, from April to June 2020. To organize the data, the IRaMuTeQ® software and thematic analysis were used. Results: the reports revealed the lack of value of workers and the loss of social labor rights; the progressive nature of the neoliberal policy, its threats and repercussions on workers’ mental health; and recognition by female workers that political and class participation does not occur in isolation, but collectively. Conclusion: under the aegis of neoliberal policy, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an upsurge precarious work, influencing nursing workers’ subjectivity and mental health.

Neoliberalism and precarious work in nursing in the COVID-19 pandemic: repercussions on mental health