Anxiety, Burnout and Depression, Psychological Well-Being as Predictor of Healthcare Professionals’ Turnover during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Study in a Pandemic Hospital

Abstract

Turnover of healthcare professionals’ is a rapidly growing human resource issue that affects healthcare systems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals have faced stressful situations that have negatively impacted their psychological health. In this study, we explored impacts of the emotional wellbeing of healthcare professionals on their intention to quit their jobs. A cross-sectional survey design was used for this study. The respondents were selected based on simple random sampling. In total, 345 questionaries were returned and used for the analysis. Respondents were healthcare professionals (nurses, doctors, midwives, technicians, etc.) working in a pandemic hospital in Turkey. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to predict the emotions that encouraged the respondents to intend to quit their jobs. Emotions including anxiety, burnout, and depression were measured using validated scales. We found that the COVID-19 situation increased the turnover intention, especially among doctors and nurses (ORnurse/midwife = 22.28 (2.78–41.25), p = 0.01; ORdoctors = 18.13 (2.22–2.27), p = 0.01) mediating the emotional pressure it was putting them under. Anxiety related to work-pressure and burnout especially were the main emotional predictors of turnover intention. The more severe the anxiety was, the more the professional considered quitting (ORmoderate = 18.96 (6.75–137.69), p = 0.005; ORsevere = 37.94 (2.46–107.40), p = 0.016). Only severe burnout, however, engendered such an intention among them (ORsevere = 13.05 (1.10–33.48), p = 0.000).

Analysis on Burnout, Job Conditions, Alexithymia, and Other Psychological Symptoms in a Sample of Italian Anesthesiologists and Intensivists, Assessed Just before the COVID-19 Pandemic: An AAROI-EMAC Study

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed health systems and health workers in an unprecedented way, inevitably causing a worsening of working conditions, with possible serious repercussions on the mental health conditions of workers [ 25 , 26 ]. However, the situation before the pandemic was not an optimal situation [ 10 , 27 ].…”

Predictors of Healthcare Professionals’ Work Difficulty Perception during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Study of Work Environment in a Pandemic Hospital

“…Physio-psychological health and work performance may be adversely affected by persistent exposure to anxiety [ 34 ]. In another similar study, it was found that emotional stress impacted healthcare workers’ intentions to leave their jobs [ 24 ].…”

“…The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory scale is a 7-question scale. It is often interpreted in a 3-group classification (<14: low, 14–20: medium and >20: high burnout) [ 24 ]. The PHQ-9 is a 9-depression question scale.…”

“…In a previous study, we found that job position was correlated with the clinicians’ intention to leave their job [ 24 ]. Healthcare providers’ age, gender, job category, and site of practice were found to be important predictors of their experience during the pandemic [ 26 ].…”

“…We, thus, adjust our logistic multivariable model to the covariates that are correlated with the job difficulty perception. This method (adjusted logistic multivariate model) was used in different studies before [ 24 ].…”