Investigating Fear of Covid-19, Social Distance and Burnout Among Health and Education Professionals Working in Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers

Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers (SERC) are rare institutions where health and education professionals work together. This offers a unique opportunity to analyze coronaphobia and pay attention to social distance based on the field of license. This study investigates the relationship between coronaphobia and attention to social distance with different parameters among health and education professionals working in the SERC during the pandemic. Our study group consisted of 150 professionals, 97 of whom worked in the health sector and 53 in education, all employed at SERC in Turkey between July and November 2021. The COVID-19 Fear Scale was used to measure coronaphobia, the Social Distancing Scale for COVID-19 social distance level, and the Maslach Burnout Scale for occupational burnout. Coronaphobia and burnout were significantly higher (p=0.027) among education professionals than health professionals. There was no significant difference in social distance attention between the two groups. Salary satisfaction was significantly higher (p=0.004) among health science graduates than those in educational sciences. Coronaphobia and attention to social distancing were significantly worse (p<0.00, p=0.015) among professionals who were satisfied with their salary. A positive and strong correlation exists between burnout and fear of COVID-19 (p<0.001, r=598). In conclusion, to reduce coronaphobia in SERC, it is recommended to provide health literacy training and implement preventive approaches to occupational burnout.