Occupational Stress and Burnout Among Public Health Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Morocco.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic posed a severe psychological burden on healthcare professionals worldwide, yet little evidence exists from North African low- and middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed levels of perceived stress and burnout among Moroccan healthcare workers and explored associated occupational risk factors, based on retrospective data collected in 2022. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 200 physicians and nurses (n = 200) from five public hospitals in Meknes. Validated instruments, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS), were used. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests with Cramér's V, and ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. RESULTS: High proportions of healthcare professionals reported elevated stress and clinical burnout. Occupational risk factors such as working in intensive care or COVID-19 units, on-call shift schedules, and sleep disturbances were strongly associated with adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Moroccan healthcare professionals experienced persistent psychological strain during and after the pandemic. The novelty of this study lies in documenting post-pandemic data from 2022 in a North African setting, providing timely evidence of long-term impacts. These findings underscore the urgent need for organizational reforms and targeted psychological support programs to protect the mental health of healthcare workers in future health crises.