A cross-sectional study investigating optimism and mental resilience among Greek healthcare professionals

Abstract

Healthcare professionals experience high levels of burnout and chronic stress, which further jeopardizes their optimism and mental resilience. The study involved 175 health professionals (46 doctors, 56 nurses, 27 nursing assistants, 23 ward assistants, 23 paramedical workers) of the Sismanogleio General Hospital of Athens, aged 26-65. Participants were administered an electronic questionnaire, which included socio-demographic data and work-related information, the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISK-25). The data analysis was conducted using SPSS, with Descriptive and Inferential Statistics methods. The results reveal moderate levels of mental resilience (Mean=65.23, Std. Dev.=15.44) and moderate levels of optimism (Mean=12.75, Std. Dev.=2.89) among participants. Health professionals’ levels of optimism are positively correlated with their levels of mental resilience (rho = 0.208, p = 0.006). The levels of optimism and mental resilience do not differ according to gender, marital status, or years of work experience (p = 0.612, p = 0.458, p = 0.214, respectively), but differ according to age (p < 0.001). Health professionals aged 60+ show the highest levels of mental resilience, while paramedical workers demonstrate greater optimism compared to physicians. The development of targeted training and support programs aimed at strengthening optimism and mental resilience among healthcare professionals may be beneficial. Georgia-Nektaria et al. investigate the levels of optimism and mental resilience among healthcare professionals in one of the largest hospitals in Greece. They find moderate overall levels of optimism and resilience, with older participants exhibiting greater levels of resilience and paramedics showing greater levels of optimism. Due to the high expectations in their work, healthcare professionals often experience burnout and anxiety, which can negatively affect their mental health and the quality of their services. Here we explore the optimism and mental resilience levels among the healthcare personnel of one of the largest hospitals in Greece. Using two appropriate questionnaires, we demonstrate that healthcare workers experience moderate levels of both mental resilience and optimism, with older ones showing the highest resilience and paramedic staff showing the greatest optimism. This highlights the need for appropriate training programs to enhance optimism and resilience in healthcare personnel despite their educational level, age, or work position.

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