Job Satisfaction and Mental Health of Health Professionals in Croatia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati odrednice zadovoljstva poslom i mentalnoga zdravlja zdravstvenih djelatnika za trajanja pandemije izazvane virusom COVID-19 među 498 zdravstvenih djelatnika. Istraživane su sociodemografske varijable, radne (npr. (ne)promjena radnoga mjesta u pandemiji, (ne)boravak u samoizolaciji, radni sati) i osobne karakteristike zaposlenika (otpornost, sagorijevanje na poslu, mentalno zdravlje, zadovoljstvo poslom, (ne)promjena zadovoljstva poslom u pandemiji). Rezultati pokazuju da se zadovoljstvo poslom i mentalno zdravlje ne mogu objasniti promijenjenim radnim okolnostima u pandemiji. Iscrpljenost je bila negativan prediktor zadovoljstva poslom i mentalnoga zdravlja, dimenzija otuđenosti negativan prediktor zadovoljstva poslom, a otpornost pozitivan prediktor mentalnoga zdravlja. Ispitanici kojima je zadovoljstvo poslom u pandemiji poraslo imali su dulje radno vrijeme, češće su bili uključeni u rad s pozitivnim i suspektnim pacijentima. Ispitanici čije je zadovoljstvo poslom u pandemiji opalo imali su niže razine otpornosti, mentalnoga zdravlja i više razine sagorijevanja na poslu u odnosu na one kojima je zadovoljstvo ostalo isto ili je poraslo.
The aim of this study was to identify the determinants of job satisfaction and the mental health of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 498 health professionals participated on a voluntary basis. The variables investigated were: socio-demographic variables, work characteristics ((non-)change of job during the pandemic, (non-)stay in self-isolation, and working hours), and personal characteristics of the employees (resilience, burnout, mental health, job satisfaction, and (non-)change of job satisfaction during the pandemic). The results indicate that job satisfaction and mental health cannot be explained by the change in working conditions during the pandemic. Exhaustion was a negative predictor of job satisfaction and mental health, while the dimension of disengagement was a negative predictor of job satisfaction, and resilience was a positive predictor of mental health. The respondents whose job satisfaction increased during the pandemic had the longest working hours and worked more often with COVID-positive and suspicious patients. Respondents whose job satisfaction decreased during the pandemic had lower resilience, mental health and higher levels of burnout compared with those whose job satisfaction remained the same or increased.