Workplace Stress, Occupational Hazards, and Sickness Absenteeism among Healthcare Workers in a Pediatric Hospital in Baghdad, 2025

Abstract

Healthcare workers endure considerable occupational stress, workplace hazards, and increased sickness absenteeism undermining wellbeing and service delivery. This study assessed workplace stress, occupational hazards, and sickness absenteeism among Baghdad healthcare workers, exploring their prevalence, contributing factors, and interconnections. A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2025 at Pediatric Hospital in Baghdad Al-Karkh, enrolling 210 healthcare workers through convenience sampling (response rate: 80.8%). Data were collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire (Cronbach's α=0.89) covering demographics, workplace stress, occupational hazards, and sickness absenteeism. Statistical analysis employed descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression using SPSS version 26. Ethical approval was obtained per the Declaration of Helsinki. Among 210 participants (mean age 31.7±7.2 years; 81.0% female), 41.4% experienced frequent work-related stress (>5 days/week) and 47.6% reported high perceived stress. Primary stressors were long working hours (35.2%) and high workload (29.5%), negatively affecting physical health (87.1%) and mental health (80.5%). Needle stick injuries (38.6%) and infectious exposure (20.0%) were predominant hazards, with only 25.2% reporting consistent PPE availability. Sickness absenteeism affected 31.0% of participants over three months, mainly for ≤7 days. Significant associations existed between sick leave and age, job title, work hours, and perceived stress (p<0.05). High perceived stress independently predicted sick leave (AOR=9.12, 95% CI: 4.15-20.04, p=0.001). Healthcare workers face significant occupational stress and hazards, with stress being the primary absenteeism predictor. Interventions require stress management, workload redistribution, improved safety measures, and mental health support. This pioneering comprehensive study linking workplace stress, hazards, and absenteeism in an Iraqi pediatric hospital provides crucial evidence for occupational health policy development in resource-constrained settings.