O Mundo da Saúde (Feb 2022)
Resilient Coping and Burnout in Healthcare Social Workers during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Portugal and Spain
Abstract
Healthcare social workers faced a demanding professional challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had multidimensional repercussions. Studies with health professionals concerning Burnout and resilience strategies have been considered relevant and gained special attention for their position in the response to the pandemic. Here we highlight the risks of Burnout and the potential protection of coping strategies in a profession that mediates the social dimension of health and disease. We aimed to understand their impact on social workers who worked in the health field in Portugal and Spain during the first wave, analyzing the levels of resilience and burnout. 336 social workers from Portugal (n = 252) and Spain (n = 84) participated. Despite the high perception of multidimensional stressors (at a personal, relational, professional, and organizational level), burnout risks were moderate to low. The predisposition to burnout due to depersonalization was residual (1.8%), but that due to low personal accomplishment (18.8%) and emotional exhaustion (21.4%) were higher; however, the majority did not show any risk of Burnout. The levels of resilience demonstrated facing the COVID-19 Pandemic were low (47%) or moderate (29.8%), with 23.2% at high levels. The aggregation of Burnout and coping strategies into three risk profiles reveals differences in the perception of fear of implications in working with patients, the impact felt at work, and the support felt at the health unit. Support and resilience strategies that favor the psychosocial and professional well-being of healthcare social workers must be promoted, especially in emergencies.
