Page 98 - GHES-2-3

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

protection category, and 1.3% in the justice sector. The The third section of the research tool is the General
above are tabulated in Table 1. Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28). This tool is a version
The serving duration during which the respondents of the original GHQ, which was developed in 1978 by
work in their specialty was investigated. In general, the Golderg (1978). Both tools focus on the detection of
subjects had been working in their respective specialty psychiatric disorders in the general population and the
categories for 0.5 – 38 years, with an average of 11.78 years. assessment of mental health. The tool used was adapted
The weekly working hours of the respondents were also and analyzed in the Greek population by Garyfallos et al.
analyzed: (i) the lowest value was 0 h/week; (ii) the longest (1991). Through 28 Likert-type questions given on a four-
certain subjects might work per week was 75 h; and (iii) the point scale from 1 to 5, four basic categories of feelings
average length of working hours per week was 35.25 h. and psychological states of the respondents, namely the
Whether the participants hold a position of responsibility physical symptoms, restlessness and insomnia, social
in their work was also investigated. Slightly more than half dysfunction, and depression, were examined.
(51.5%) reported that they did not hold such a position, The fourth section of the research tool is the
while the rest (48.5%) held a position of responsibility. “Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
(MSPSS),” which was used to evaluate and study the
2.3. Research instruments
perceived social support received by the respondents.
To achieve the purpose of the research and answer the The original scale was developed by Zimet et al. (1988),
research questions, a questionnaire of four sections was including a total of 12 Likert-type questions rated on a
created. The first section aims to analyze the demographic seven-point scale of agreement from 1 (strongly disagree)
and work characteristics of the respondents, using two to 7 (strongly agree). This questionnaire covers four
open-ended questions and eight closed-ended questions. dimensions, that is, social support provided by family,
The Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) questionnaire — friends, environment (significant others), and a total score
a scale that assesses the fatigue of respondents, whether of social support. The questionnaire adopted in this study
healthy or with chronic diseases — was included in the was based on a version translated and adapted by Theofilou
second part of the questionnaire. The tool was originally (2015). Finally, the tool presented a particularly high
developed by Michielsen et al. (2003) and has been used internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha index value
in various population groups. It has also been used in the constantly exceeding 0.8.
Greek population in various research studies and clinical 2.4. Procedure
practices. This tool is characterized by high internal
reliability, with a Cronbach’s Alpha Index exceeding 0.8. A Google Form containing both the research instrument
The tool includes a total of 10 statements rated on a five- and the consent form was distributed electronically by the
point Likert scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always) (Zyga et al., association of social workers. It was made clear that the
2015). research aims to investigate the opinions of active social

Table 1. Job categories of the respondents
Job categories Frequency Percent Valid percent Cumulative percent
Valid
Local government (municipalities-regions-structures to combat poverty) 80 20.0 20.1 20.1
Community centers (Home Help-Roma) 56 14.0 14.0 34.1
Health (First–Second–Third–Mental Health–Addictions) 91 22.8 22.8 56.9
Education 67 16.8 16.8 73.7
Child protection 28 7.0 7.0 80.7
Justice 5 1.3 1.3 82.0
Non-governmental organizations 35 8.8 8.8 90.7
Other 37 9.3 9.3 100.0
Total 399 99.8 100.0
Missing
System 1 0.3
Total 400 100.0

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