Burnout and coping mechanisms among Sudanese healthcare workers during the ongoing Sudan war: a cross-sectional study

During the Sudan war, healthcare workers have encountered extraordinary challenges, including physical assaults and the immense strain of delivering care with critically limited resources. These conditions are likely to intensify burnout among healthcare professionals. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout among Sudanese healthcare workers and investigate the coping mechanisms they employ during the ongoing conflict.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among Sudanese healthcare workers using the standardized Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of burnout domains. A significance level of p < 0.05 was considered for all statistical tests.

High emotional exhaustion was reported by 13.7% of participants, while 56.5% experienced high depersonalization, and only 4.4% reported low levels of personal accomplishment. The leading coping mechanism was talking with friends and family, adopted by 28.8% of participants, while 15.5% turned to spiritual or religious practices.

Sudanese healthcare workers demonstrate high levels of burnout, particularly in the depersonalization domain, with talking to friends and family being the most commonly used coping mechanism. Future research is needed to explore the unique stressors faced by healthcare workers in conflict-affected settings like ours.