COVID-19 pandemic and burnout: factors associated with burnout levels among healthcare workers

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the psychosocial and demographic factors influencing burnout levels among healthcare workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive study was performed on a total of 418 healthcare workers from Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Balcalı Hospital in Turkey. While the participants were selected randomly, a personal information form consisting of 33 open- and close-ended questions, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, the Maslach Burnout Scale and the Beck Burnout were applied. Results: They were 418 healthcare workers aged 19-63 (mean= 35.51±9.38), 284 of whom were 61.8% female, 132 (31.7%) of whom were male, and 2 (0.5%) of whom refused to specify their gender. The study found that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores were significantly positively correlated with COVID-19 anxiety scores and Beck anxiety scores in healthcare workers, while personal accomplishment scores were significantly negatively correlated with these variables. The study also revealed that COVID-19 anxiety, Beck anxiety, being female, being young, being unmarried, having children, being diagnosed with COVID-19, having a chronic illness, and working more hours per week were all contributing factors to burnout. Conclusion: Both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is very important to provide various forms of psychological support and make arrangements to address factors that can impact the burnout of healthcare professionals.