Digital Burnout and Anxiety Symptoms among Healthcare Professionals in a Globalized World

Description

Page: 34-39

Syeda Afreen and Himansu Kumar Srivastwa (Amity Institute of Behavioural Health & Allied Sciences (AIBHAS), Amity University Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh)

Digital burnout arises from an overreliance on digital tools for work, resulting in emotional fatigue, cognitive weariness, and physical stress. This issue is particularly common among healthcare professionals due to extended screen time and demands for digital documentation. In our globalised environment, the deeper integration of digital technologies into healthcare systems has increased the threat of digital burnout, which correlates with anxiety symptoms. This study investigates the connection between digital burnout and anxiety symptoms among 32 healthcare professionals in Delhi and Delhi NCR, aged 25 to 55 years, selected through purposive sampling. Participants included doctors, nurses, and allied health workers involved in digital healthcare tasks. Data collection employed the Digital Burnout Scale (DBS) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), both of which are validated with high reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha > 0.90). Findings indicated a significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.362, p = 0.021) between digital burnout and anxiety symptoms. Female participants exhibited higher average levels of both digital burnout (M = 3.00) and anxiety symptoms (M = 2.29) compared to males (M = 2.44, M = 1.11, respectively). Independent t-tests highlighted significant gender differences in both digital burnout (t = -2.11, p = 0.044) and anxiety symptoms (t = -4.43, p < 0.001), indicating that gender influences this relationship. The study highlights the effect of digital burnout on mental health, stressing the necessity for gender-sensitive interventions and strategies to manage screen time among healthcare professionals.