Loneliness, Complaining and Professional Burnout of Medical Personnel of Psychiatric Wards during COVID-19 Pandemic—Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Professional burnout in the medical community has been present for a long time, also among mental health professionals. The aim of the study was to examine the links between loneliness, complaining and professional burnout among medical personnel in psychiatric care during a pandemic. Loneliness and complaining of the medical staff are not documented in the literature well enough. Methods: Oldenburg Burnout Questionnaire, the Loneliness Scale, the Complaint Questionnaire and author’s questionnaire. The respondents: 265 medical employees—doctors (19.2%), nurses (69.8%), paramedics (4.9%), medical caregivers (5.7%). Results: Loneliness and complaining are significant predictors of exhaustion. The model explains 18% of exhaustion variance. Loneliness, complaining and job seniority are also predictors of disengagement; the model allows to predict 10% of the variance of disengagement. Women are more prone to complain. Complaining significantly correlates with direct support from management. A high rate of loneliness correlates, in a statistically significant way, with worse work organization, less management support, worse atmosphere in the team and with more irresponsible attitudes of colleagues. Conclusions: Loneliness and complaining can be used to predict occupational burnout. Women and people without management support complain more often. Loneliness is connected with bad work organization and bad cooperation in a team.

Improving healthcare team harmony through collaborative team reflection and mindfulness

“…Our finding that the program enabled participants to become more mindful and reflective of their team working towards a collective goal rather than individual silos is in line with our previous study that the program improved individual's ability to decenter, defined as the ability to be open, curious and accept the present experience (Kang et al, 2020;Lau et al, 2006). In the busy environment of an acute medical ward, our program reminded staff of the importance of working ir ng as a team, rather than feeling alone in the system, which has been associated with increased burnout (Karcz et al, 2022).…”

Health Occupation and Job Satisfaction: The Impact of Psychological Capital in the Management of Clinical Psychological Stressors of Healthcare Workers in the COVID-19 Era

“…Loneliness occurs when people experience a sense of loneliness and when, regardless of the number of contacts, they begin to lack meaningful social relationships. The current epi-demic situation and the relative need to maintain social distance has worsened interpersonal relationships of all kinds, thus limiting social support, which may also contribute to the growing feeling of loneliness [46].…”

Lessons learned from behaviors of the employees in Iranian banks during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis: A phenomenological study

“…Employees' complaints about the work environment are not sufficiently documented in the literature. The most common intention of complainers is to experi-ence a sense of relief through expressing dissatisfaction, which, according to most people, should have a soothing effect on unpleasant emotional states [ 97 ].…”