The relationship of stress, self-efficacy and sociodemographic factors among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background/Aim: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many health care workers had to perform jobs that were not in their area of expertise. That the disease is a newly defined disease and that it required health care workers to work outside of their fields may have affected their stress levels. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship among sociodemographic characteristics, the sense of self-efficacy in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, and perceived stress levels of physicians working in a university hospital. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The population included in this study was 327 physicians working in a university hospital at the time of the pandemic. No sampling was performed for this study. This study was completed by a total of 108 physicians (participation level: 33.03%). After being informed about this study, the physicians were asked whether they agreed to participate. Research data were collected with a questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale. The questionnaire included questions about physicians' sociodemographic characteristics and feelings of self-efficacy in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Results: The total number of skills physicians reported they could perform was higher among specialist physicians and faculty members, those 34 years and older, and those who received training on the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and virus prevention (P=0.04; P=0.01; P<0.001; P<0.001; P<0.001, respectively). In addition, perceived stress levels (PSLs) were found to be lower among those who reported a high total number of skills they could perform, as assessed by the self-efficacy questions (P=0.04). Conclusion: Although the PSLs of physicians were high, this is expected in a state of emergency such as the pandemic. The sense of self-efficacy regarding COVID-19 improved with training and professional experience. In-service training and shared experiences can both decrease PSLs and improve self-efficacy.