Comparative Study of Occupational Burnout and Job Stress of Frontline and Non-Frontline Healthcare Workers in Hospital Wards during COVID-19 Pandemic

Farnaz  Etesam; Mitra  Akhlaghi; Zahra  Vahabi; Samaneh  Akbarpour; Mohammad Hossein  Sadeghian

doi:10.18502/ijph.v50i7.6633

Farnaz Etesam Psychosomatic Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sci-ences, Tehran, Iran
Mitra Akhlaghi Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Zahra Vahabi Memory and Behavioral Neurology Division, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Samaneh Akbarpour Occupational Sleep Research Center, Baharloo Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Hossein Sadeghian Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v50i7.6633

Keywords: COVID-19; Burn out; Healthcare workers; Job stress

Abstract

Background: Paying attention to the issue of mental health in the workplace, especially with current pandemic conditions of COVID-19 is of significant importance. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors affecting occupational burnout among health care center staff during the pandemic of coronavirus infection.

Methods: The present study was a case-control study carried out in the first half of the year 2020 on medical staff working in hospitals in Tehran. The sample size was 324 individuals, including 175 employees working in general (non-COVID) wards and 149 people working in COVID-19 wards. Demographic characteristics questionnaire and two standard questionnaires of Maslach Burnout Inventory and Parker and DeCotiis Job Stress Scale were distributed.

Results: Total score of job stress and its two dimensions (time and pressure) had a significant relationship with different levels of occupational burnout. Logistic regression analyses showed significant relations between job stress with emotional exhaustion (95% CI, 1.11-1.19, OR=1.15) and depersonalization. Participants in both wards experienced statistically significant increasing trends given the different components of occupational burnout concurrently by increasing their total stress score.

Conclusion: Hospital staff’s levels of stress and occupational burnout regardless of where they worked (COVID-19 wards or general wards) were not significantly different and existed among the members of both groups. On the other hand, job stress and its dimensions (time pressure and anxiety) had a significant relationship with the main dimensions of occupational burnout.