Perceived Social Support as a Predictive Factor of Fatigue and Quality of Life Among Healthcare Professionals in Greece

Abstract

The multitude of stressful factors in the work environment, combined with work burnout and the absence of social support, significantly degrades the quality of life of health professionals. And while studies focus individually on each variable, the purpose of the present research is to classify and simultaneously correlate them, in the case of healthcare professionals in the post-pandemic era. The quantitative method with a structured questionnaire was selected to conduct the research in 506 health workers, from 14 hospitals of the 6th HealthCare Region of Greece. A fairly high level of fatigue, an alarmingly low level of social support and a moderate to high level of general health were found. Physical, mental, and overall fatigue were found to be significantly negatively correlated with family, friends, significant others, and overall social support. Their correlation was found to be significantly positive in terms of general health, as well as its individual subscales. Further investigation of the cumulative effects of fatigue and the low level of quality of life of health professionals on the efficiency and level of healthcare services provided, will contribute to the formation of new approaches to dealing with and preventing the phenomenon.