Predictors of the Occupational Burnout of Healthcare Workers in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The study aims at analysing the occupational burnout phenomenon, the level of anxiety and depression, as well as the quality of life (QOL) of healthcare workers (HCW) during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 497 healthcare workers examined across Poland. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument Short Form (WHOQOL BREF) were used. A total of 71.63% (356) of the respondents presented high and moderate levels of emotional exhaustion during the pandemic, 71.43% (355) reported low and moderate job satisfaction levels, whereas 40.85% (203) displayed high and moderate levels of depersonalization. A group of 62.57% (n = 311) demonstrated clear or borderline states of anxiety disorders, while 38.83% (n = 193) suffered from depression or its borderline symptoms. Direct predictors of occupational burnout included: escalating depression; quality of life domains such as the physical, psychological and social; being provided personal protective equipment (PPE) by an employer; age; medical profession; and material status. Emotional exhaustion appeared to be much higher in nursing and ‘other’ medical professionals than in physiotherapists (p = 0.023). In the times of pandemic, the occupational burnout prophylaxis ought to be focused on early recognition of depression like symptoms and their treatment, as well as providing the staff with PPE and satisfying earnings.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of rehabilitation area professionals: A systematic review

“…The HADS is one of the scales used in the assessed studies to evaluate depression and anxiety. It had been used before with nursing staff in Poland ( 31 , 39 ). It originally contained 7 items assessing anxiety and 7 items related to depressive states.…”

“…The respondents rate each aspect on five-point Likert scales. The domain score reflects an individualized perception of each quality-of-life domain, and it is scaled in a positively framed direction: the higher the score, the higher the health-related quality of life ( 30 , 31 ).…”

“…As for the differences found between types of healthcare professionals, only Szwamel et al ( 31 ) showed that emotional exhaustion was higher in nurses than in the other professionals evaluated, such as physiotherapists. Del Pozo-Herce et al ( 14 ) showed that the pandemic has left a great psychological impact on health professionals, both in terms of stress and in the use of coping strategies, and they indicated that professionals who did not have appropriate working conditions (i.e., type of contract and salary) or those with less years of experience, were more affected in mental health than others.…”

“…All MBI items are scored using seven-level frequency ratings, from "never" (=0) to "every day" (=6). Burnout is confirmed by obtaining high scores on the subscales that assess emotional exhaustion (0-54 items) and depersonalization (0-30 items) and low scores on the Personal Accomplishment subscale (0-48 items) (28,31,33). Similarly, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) is a scale designed to measure burnout, including 19…”

Job Demands, Resources and Burnout Among Polish Nurses During the Late Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Emotional Labor

“…There are no studies exploring the burnout level among Polish nurses specifically during COVID-19 pandemic so far. However, according to the research by Szwamel et al ( 56 ) which encompassed all healthcare workers in Poland, 71.63% (356) of the respondents presented high and moderate levels of emotional exhaustion, 71.43% (355) reported low and moderate job satisfaction levels, whereas 40.85% (203) displayed high and moderate levels of depersonalization. The current research has been conducted during the late wave of COVID-19 pandemic, which means that the organization of work of nurses and the level of job demands were different from traditional ones ( 57 ).…”