Nursing journal, Vol. 31 No. 2, 2026.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.11608/sgnj.31.2.1
Persistent Burnout Despite Recovery of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms After COVID-19: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study of Primary Healthcare Workers in Southeast Europe, 2021–2023
Igor Maslać
; Dom zdravlja Mostar, Hrvatskih branitelja b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina
*
Marko Martinac
; Dom zdravlja Mostar, Hrvatskih branitelja b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovinav / Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Mostaru, Bijeli brijeg b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina
Marin Puljić
; Dom zdravlja Mostar, Hrvatskih branitelja b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina
Edita Černy Obrdalj
; Dom zdravlja Mostar, Hrvatskih branitelja b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovinav / Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Mostaru, Bijeli brijeg b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina
Mia Jurišić
; Dom zdravlja Mostar, Hrvatskih branitelja b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina
Benjamin Palić
; Županijska bolnica Čakovec, Ivana Gorana Kovačića 1e, 40 000 Čakovec, Hrvatska / Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Mostaru, Bijeli brijeg b. b., 88 000 Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on the mental health of healthcare workers; however, evidence regarding the persistence of psychological consequences in the post-pandemic period, particularly in primary healthcare, remains limited. This study aimed to examine changes in anxiety, depressive symptoms, and burnout among primary healthcare workers during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare workers at the Health Center Mostar during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-May 2021) and in the post-pandemic period (October 2023). Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), while burnout was measured using a 15-item burnout questionnaire. Differences between periods and according to exposure to work with COVID-19-positive patients were analyzed, as well as associations between mental health outcomes and workload intensity.
Results: Compared with 2021, anxiety and depressive symptom levels were significantly lower in 2023. In contrast, burnout levels did not differ significantly between the pandemic and post-pandemic periods. Healthcare workers caring for COVID-19-positive patients exhibited significantly higher burnout scores, which were positively associated with the number of working days per week and the number of working hours per day. No such associations were observed for anxiety or depressive symptoms.
Discussion and conclusion: These findings suggest that anxiety and depressive symptoms tend to resolve over time, whereas occupational burnout persists beyond the pandemic's acute phase. The results highlight the need for long-term organizational strategies addressing workload in primary healthcare settings.
Ključne riječi
professional burnout; anxiety; depression; primary health care; health personnel
Hrčak ID:
350207
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.8.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *