Page 102 - GHES-2-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Fatigue and quality of life in Greek social workers

nurses. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion was found to Funding
be negatively correlated to perceived social support.
None.
The current study presents some limitations, with one of
them being the small sample size of professionals included. Conflict of interest
In future studies, other variables, such as occupational and The authors declare no conflict of interest.
demographic features, should be analyzed to see if they
have an impact on fatigue and quality of life. Author contributions

5. Conclusion Conceptualization: All authors
Investigation: All authors
Fatigue can be combated by enhancing endurance. Writing – original draft: All authors
Resilience, which is a central skill in work and social practice, Writing – review & editing: All authors
enables people to recover from stress despite the difficulties
they face, allowing them to maintain their physical, mental, Ethics approval and consent to participate
and emotional well-being in stressful situations. Gaining
resilience helps social workers demonstrate more self- Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the
compassion. To be resilient, social workers should practice committee of the Association of Social Workers of Greece
self-care, a concept that social workers are familiar with (protocol number 1332/22-12-2023). Informed consent
as they encourage their patients to set boundaries; adopt was obtained by electronic means through the distribution
regular routines in healthy eating, sleep, and physical of Google forms.
activity; and maintain work-life balance (NASW, 2022).
Consent for publication
In 2021, the National Association of Social Workers
(NASW) updated its Code of Ethics for social workers, Not applicable.
including self-care in an effort to highlight its importance Availability of data
for the competent and ethical practice of social work. It
also points out that social workers should make efforts Data supporting these findings are available within the
for personal and professional self-care, and social work article or on request.
organizations, agencies, and educational institutions
should be encouraged to promote organizational policies, Further disclosure
practices, and practical support of self-care for social A preprint of this article has been deposited on the
workers (NASW, 2021). Preprints.org (doi: 10.20944/preprints202401.1098.v1).

Despite the challenges in implementing self-care
practices, some supportive strategies are recommended as References
follows: AbuAlRub, R.F., Omari, F.H., & Al-Zaru, I.M. (2009). Support,
• Recognizing signs of fatigue to build self-awareness, satisfaction and retention among Jordanian nurses in
• Ensuring work-life balance by engaging in enjoyable private and public hospitals. International Nursing Review,
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• Adopting healthy eating habits and regular exercise, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-7657.2009.00718.x
• Reducing stress through the use of relaxation skills, Ben-Porat, A., & Itzhaky, H. (2015). Burnout among trauma social
such as meditation, workers: The contribution of personal and environmental
• Maintaining communication with people who provide resources. Journal of Social Work, 15(6):606-620.
social support, such as loved ones and colleagues, and
setting positive, healthy boundaries, https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017314552158
• Utilizing employee support programs. Carver, C.S., Scheier, M.F., & Weintraub, J.K. (1989). Assessing
coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of
However, the best approach to self-care is to switch Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2):267-283.
to a different position, when the existing environment in
the workplace is becoming less practical for adaptation https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.56.2.267
(NASW, 2022). Chastali-Sitara, M., Alikari, V., Platis, CH., Tsironi, M., Zyga, S.,
Alefragkis, D., et al. (2020). Association between perceived
Acknowledgments social support and occupational burnout in Greek nurses: A
The authors would like to thank the participants of the preliminary study. Progress in Health Sciences, 10(2):22-28.
present study. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0014.6583

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3039