Burnout Symptoms and Psychological Well-Being Among Croatian Hospital Frontline Nurses and Physicians During the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Contribution of Environmental and Personal Characteristics

Direct contact with COVID-19 patients affect the mental health of frontline healthcare professionals. The main goal of this study was to investigate the levels of burnout and psychological symptoms (posttraumatic symptoms-PTSS, depression, anxiety, and stress-DASS) as well as life satisfaction among nurses and physicians working at University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb (impacted by the earthquakes) and University Hospital of Split. The second goal was to examine the contribution of gender and personality traits to the levels of psychological symptoms among all participants. A set of questionnaires measuring psychological symptoms and personal characteristics was sent via the Google form platform to healthcare professionals and in total 227 completed the form (138 nurses and 89 physicians). The sample consisted of 180 (79.3% females) and 47 (20.7% males). Among the respondents, 75 nurses and 64 physicians were employees of University Hospital Dubrava of 63 nurses and 25 physicians were employees in the University Hospital of Split. The results showed that physicians in general scored higher on the burnout scale (p<0.001) while nurses reported higher anxiety (p=0.011). Nurses working in Zagreb had higher levels of burnout (p<0.001), more depressive (p=0.009) and anxiety (p=0.027) symptoms as well as experienced more stress (p=0.007), and less life satisfaction (p=0.007) than nurses working in Split. Differences in psychological symptoms and resilience in physicians working in Split and Zagreb were not established. Regression analyses showed that the female gender predicted more PTSS, (B=-4.77, p=0.045) while the physician profession predicted higher burnout symptoms (B=2.67, p=0.002). Considering personality traits, higher emotional stability and resilience predicted lower PTSS and DASS symptoms. Traits extraversion (B=0.17, p=0.003), conscientiousness (B=0.26, p<0.001) and resilience (B=1.21, p=0.024) predicted more life satisfaction. Traits of agreeableness (B=-0.21, p= 0.001) and emotional stability (B=-0.45, p<0.001) predicted a decrease in the intensity of the burnout. This study recognized the importance of personality traits as protective factors contributing to psychological well-being in frontline hospital healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the contrary, exposure to multiple traumas and belonging to a profession of physician emerges as risk factors contributing to more psychological symptoms.