Strategies for Coping with Burnout among Palestinian Mental Health Practitioners throughout Wartimes: A Cross-sectional Study

During wartime, mental health professionals are more prone to mental health problems, such as burnout. Currently, there is less knowledge of the coping strategies employed by Palestinian mental health professionals to manage the consequences of wars and conflicts. In light of the ongoing political violence in Palestine, this study sought to investigate the prevalence of burnout and coping methods among mental health professionals.

The research design was cross-sectional. We used self-reported questionnaires to gather data, including the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Questionnaire and Brief COPE Scale. Multiple regression, Pearson correlation, and a Chi-square test were used to examine the association between the study variables and burn symptoms.

Out of 514 participants, who were surveyed, there was a prevalence of high burnout (75.4%), emotional exhaustion (24.7%), depersonalization (11.9%), and inadequate personal accomplishment (19.6%). Professionals who reported struggling or being unable to interact with their clients during the political violence and those whose psychological state was negatively impacted by it were more likely to feel emotional exhaustion. Also, self-blame was found to raise the chance of emotional exhaustion, whereas planning decreased it. Depersonalization was more common in 31-40-year-olds. Humor and behavioral disengagement increased depersonalization, but religious coping lowered it. Furthermore, treating patients affected by political conflict, being male, not being single, and using substances decreased personal accomplishment, whereas venting increased it.

The results showed an elevated prevalence of burnout among mental health personnel during conflict and political violence. Therefore, it is critical to immediately provide mental health workers with stress management training and psychological support to enhance their psychological well-being. Additionally, they need help in learning how to effectively organize their time, manage activities, and distribute duties during political conflict.