The Predictive Effect of Anxiety and Burnout Levels Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Organizational Commitment on their Intention to Leave the Organization of the Healthcare Professionals

Objective: The study was conducted to determine predictive effect of anxiety and burnout levels related to the COVID-19 Pandemic and organizational commitment on their intention to leave the organization of the healthcare professionals. Methods: The sample of study consisted of 251 healthcare professionals who actively worked during the pandemic process. Data were collected by applying the "Coronavirus Anxiety Scale", "COVID-19 Burnout Scale", "Organizational Commitment Scale", and "Intention to Leave the Organization Scale". Results: 66.5% of all participants worked in the pandemic units during the pandemic process, 57.4% of them had COVID-19, 75.3% of them had COVID-19 vaccine, and 32.3% of them lost a relative due to COVID-19. 42.2% of the healthcare professionals had dysfunctional anxiety and they experienced a very high level of burnout, their continuance commitment, which is one of the sub-scales of organizational commitment, was high, their affective and normative commitment was moderate, and their intention to leave the organization was moderate. The anxiety level of healthcare professionals explained 7.7% of the change in their intention to leave the organization. The anxiety (p<0.05) and burnout levels (p>0.05) together explained 8.5% o the change in intention to leave the organization. The Anxiety and burnout levels and organizational commitment levels together explained 25.9% of the change in intention to leave the organization (p<0.05). Conclusions: The anxiety levels and the levels of affective organizational commitment of healthcare professionals during the pandemic process are significant predictors of intention to leave the organization. It is recommended that decision makers make arrangements that will improve health workers' intention to leave the organization, reduce anxiety and burnout levels, and increase organizational commitment levels.