Healthcare workers’ burn-out, hopelessness, fear of COVID-19 and perceived social support levels
Open accessAbstract
Background and objectives During the pandemic, all healthcare workers have tried to cope with mental challenges. This study evaluated the healthcare workers' levels of burn-out, hopelessness, fear of COVID-19 and perceived social support, the relation between these factors, and other possible related components.Methods Four hundred and fifty-one HCW (healthcare workers) all across Turkey were included in the study. Sociodemographic information form, Maslach Burn-out Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale were given to the participants. This was a cross-sectional study via various online platforms.Results The participants who were on duty in the COVID-19 clinic, complaining about the low salary or not having enough time for themselves or their own family, had significantly higher scores on three subscales of burn-out scale, and hopelessness scale. Working at governmental hospitals, working at departments containing a high risk of COVID-19 infection, and having a history of COVID-19 infection were found to be significantly associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and hopelessness. Feeling control of your profession and getting social support from others were the two factors that tackle burnout in HCW. Family support is the only support that tackles all 3 subscales of burn-out and hopelessness.Conclusion The findings emphasized that to tackle the burn-out and hopelessness of HCW, it is important for HCW to receive financial compensation for their hard work, to work under improved conditions, and to receive adequate social support.
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During the pandemic, constant exposure to critically ill patients, scarcity of resources, and accumulated fatigue may have contributed to the development of feelings of hopelessness.
“During the pandemic, constant exposure to critically ill patients, scarcity of resources, and accumulated fatigue may have contributed to the development of feelings of hopelessness (15).”
From Evolution of burnout syndrome in Spanish healthcare professionals during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: psychosocial variables involved (2025) · cites this paper as [15]
The Discussion (page not specified) associates higher hopelessness scores with COVID-19 clinic duty, high-risk departments, excessive workload and insufficient personal time. These findings support a cautious link between demanding pandemic work and hopelessness, but the paper does not specifically identify constant exposure to critically ill patients, resource scarcity or accumulated fatigue as contributors. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredWorkers experiencing high levels of burnout were more likely to feel hopeless.
“Research indicates that workers experiencing high levels of burnout were more likely to feel hopeless”
From Evolution of burnout syndrome in Spanish healthcare professionals during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: psychosocial variables involved (2025) · cites this paper as [15]
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- Authors
- Karagöl, A., & Törenli Kaya, Z.
- Affiliations
- Başkent University Hospital (TR)
- Corresponding author
- Karagöl, Arda
- Venue
- The European Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-07
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 200-206
- ISSN
- 0213-6163 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8755422
- OpenAlex
- W4206127019
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 4 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 10.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The European Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Keywords
- healthcare workers, burnout, hopelessness, fear of COVID-19, perceived social support, COVID-19 pandemic, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, family support, working conditions, public hospitals, professional control, mental health
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