Psychosocial Loads Caused by Covid-19 Pandemic on Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A Scale Study

Abstract

Introduction: The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has caused a worldwide pandemic. The pandemic created a heavy psychological burden on healthcare workers. Healthcare providers in obstetrics and gynecology faced similar challenges. Aim: This study studied obstetricians' and gynecologists' psychosocial burdens and concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants of the study consisted of obstetricians and gynecologists. They reached through social media using the snowball sampling technique. This is a survey and scale study. The researchers created the survey. The survey questioned the demographic characteristics of the participants and the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, three different scales were applied to the participants: Maslach Burnout Inventory, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Results: The statistically significant difference was found for Maslach Burnout Inventory Personal Achievement and Maslach Burnout Inventory General. Maslach Burnout Inventory Depersonalization and Coronavirus Anxiety Scale scores of the participants working in pandemic hospitals were statistically significantly higher than those not working in these hospitals. According to the MANOVA results, independent variables explained 35% of the variance in the Maslach Burnout Inventory General scale, 51% in the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, and 53% in the overall Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Conclusion: Healthcare personnel who provide obstetric and gynecologic services have faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the difficulties experienced by other healthcare workers.