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. 2024 Dec 18:12:1477812.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1477812. eCollection 2024.

The prevalence of burnout and coping strategies among Palestinian health professionals: a cross sectional study

Muna Ahmead  1 , Nuha El Sharif  1 , Abdallah Alwawi  2 , Asma Hemeid  3 , Motasem Ziqan  1
Affiliations

The prevalence of burnout and coping strategies among Palestinian health professionals: a cross sectional study

Muna Ahmead et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: During times of conflict, healthcare personnel face a heightened vulnerability to experiencing psychological problems such as burnout. The impact of conflict or wars on mental health professionals in Palestine and their strategies for managing these problems are currently not recognized. This study sought to assess the prevalence of burnout symptoms and coping strategies among healthcare workers in Palestine, in the context of the ongoing conflict and political violence.

Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional research design. Self-reported questionnaires, including the shortened version (9 items) of The Maslach Burnout Questionnaire and Brief COPE scales, were used to gather data. The relationship between the research variables and burn symptoms was investigated using Chi-squared test, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney, and Analysis of variance and multi-regression.

Results: A total of 713 participants were recruited. The prevalence rates were as follows: burnout-(72.9%), emotional exhaustion (44.2%), depersonalization (9.8%), and low personal accomplishment (72.2%). The multivariate analysis found that those who worked more than 16 h per day and those who had 1-15 years of job experience were more likely to had emotional exhaustion. Active coping, substance use, informational support, and emotional support all reduced the likelihood of burnout while behavioral disengagement and self-blame increased the possibility of experiencing burnout. Finally, substance use decreased emotional exhaustion, increased depersonalization and enhanced personal accomplishment.

Conclusion: The findings revealed a high prevalence of burnout among health professionals during wartime and political violence. As a result, health professionals are vulnerable to mental problems during political violence and they need immediate assistance in enhancing their mental wellbeing through psychological support, and comprehensive training in stress management.

Keywords: Palestine; coping strategies; health professionals; nurses; physicians; professional burnout.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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