{"id":2847,"date":"2025-11-07T15:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/?p=2847"},"modified":"2025-11-07T15:12:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:12:27","slug":"emotional-exhaustion-among-funeral-service-workers-during-the-pandemic-reveals-devaluation-and-invisibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/2025\/11\/07\/emotional-exhaustion-among-funeral-service-workers-during-the-pandemic-reveals-devaluation-and-invisibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Emotional Exhaustion among Funeral Service Workers during the Pandemic Reveals Devaluation and Invisibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Karina Penariol Sanches, Analyst in Science and Technology, Journalist at Fundacentro, S\u00e3o Paulo, SP, Brazil.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Brazilian<\/a>With record numbers of deaths and burials, the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the already precarious working conditions in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s municipal funeral service. Work overload led to the accumulation of tasks, deepened already exhausting and frustrating work experiences, and increased exposure to stress and social devaluation. This situation drove many workers to emotional exhaustion, resulting in weakened meaning of work, fatigue, and mental distress. These findings are discussed in the article The hard and precarious work of S\u00e3o Paulo municipal funeral workers during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> (vol. 49, 2024), published in the thematic dossier Mental Health and Subjectivity; of the Brazilian Journal of Occupational Health<\/em><\/span>\/Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional<\/em><\/span> (RBSO).<\/p>\n

To understand the activities carried out by these workers, their health impacts, and the political aspects involved in serving the population during this period, Carolina de Moura Grando (Union of Workers in Public Administration and Authorities of the Municipality of S\u00e3o Paulo), Luci Praun (Federal University of Acre), Renata Paparelli (Pontifical Catholic University of S\u00e3o Paulo), and Vera Lucia Salerno (State University of Campinas) interviewed16 workers. They were assigned to two cemeteries and one administrative hub, performing duties in burial services, wake ceremonies, security, driving, logistics, and funeral urns\u2019 expedition.<\/p>\n

The testimonies revealed that mental strain and suffering stemmed from several factors. One was the nature of care work directed toward grieving families, which became more distressing as contact with bereaved relatives had to be restricted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/a>

Image: Created by the author with the help of Microsoft Copilot AI.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another was discrimination: a profession already stigmatized and socially invisible became even more so, as friends and relatives avoided contact out of fear of contagion. Isolation and the inability to share work experiences with family members contributed further to mental distress.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf their work had already been considered \u2018dirty,\u2019 COVID-19 redefined that notion, associating their activity with supposed greater exposure to a little-known and potentially lethal disease,\u201d observe the authors.<\/p>\n

Devaluation was also a recurring theme in the interviews, with direct repercussions on the workers\u2019 mental health. The intensification of work, combined with the mandatory removal of permanent workers over 60 years old and those with comorbidities, without replacement of civil servants to sustain the workforce, accelerated outsourcing. In this process, workers witnessed the loss of professional expertise accumulated over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost research participants expressed that they were in a situation where they used their practical knowledge to train outsourced workers and ensure the continuity of activities, while simultaneously witnessing the end of their own professional role,\u201d the authors emphasize.<\/p>\n

Precariousness, low wages, and the erosion of work\u2019s meaning created a sense of defeat and loss of purpose, making workers more vulnerable to exhaustion and illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to understand funeral services as a form of care work integrated into health attention and emergency planning in the city, requiring sufficient resources to ensure safe working conditions while considering the health impacts on these workers,\u201d the study concludes.<\/p>\n

To read the article, access<\/h3>\n

GRANDO, C.M., et al<\/em>. The hard and precarious work of S\u00e3o Paulo municipal fune ral workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. Bras. Sa\u00fade <\/em>Ocup.<\/em> [online]. 2024, vol.49, edsmsubj3 [viewed 7 November 2025]. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1590\/2317-6369\/30422en2024v49edsmsubj3<\/a>. Available from: https:\/\/www.scielo.br\/j\/rbso\/a\/sTRZDqCFrkhSzh5v3cMtrrS\/<\/a><\/p>\n

External links<\/h3>\n

Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional \u2013 RBSO<\/a><\/p>\n

Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional (Fundacentro)<\/a><\/p>\n

Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional \u2013 X<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many occupational groups classified as essential did not receive adequate protection or care. Interviews with municipal funeral service workers in S\u00e3o Paulo revealed that the pandemic intensified invisibility, devaluation, and the precariousness of working conditions within this group. The consequences included emotional exhaustion, loss of meaning in work, and mental suffering. …<\/span> Read More →<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":981,"featured_media":2852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12,236,235,164],"tags":[237,76],"class_list":["post-2847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","category-rbso","category-rbso-week","category-special-weeks","tag-brazilian-journal-of-occupational-health","tag-education"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/981"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2847"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2855,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2847\/revisions\/2855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}