Burnout and Well-Being in Healthcare Workers Participating in Workplace Yoga

Overview

This study aims to evaluate changes in burnout, perceived stress, coping strategies, anxiety, depression, and psychological well-being among healthcare workers participating in a workplace yoga program. Healthcare professionals are frequently exposed to high emotional demands, workload pressure, irregular shifts, and substantial clinical responsibilities, which may increase the risk of work-related stress and burnout. Workplace-based mind-body activities, including yoga, may support emotional regulation, physical recovery, stress management, and professional well-being. Using a prospective pre-post observational design, participants will undergo a multidimensional psychological assessment before starting the workplace yoga program and after completing the 10-week program. The evaluation will include measures of burnout, coping strategies, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and satisfaction with the program. The findings are expected to improve understanding of the potential association between participation in workplace yoga activities and changes in psychological and occupational well-being among healthcare workers. The results may also provide useful information for the development of organizational initiatives aimed at promoting employee well-being and preventing burnout in healthcare settings.

This is an observational, prospective, single-arm pre-post study designed to evaluate changes in burnout, stress-related coping strategies, anxiety, depression, and perceived well-being among healthcare workers participating in an existing workplace yoga program. The study will be conducted at the IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", P.O. "Piemonte", Messina, Italy. The yoga program is an organizational well-being initiative already implemented by the institution and is independent of the present research study. The investigators will not organize, deliver, or modify the yoga sessions and will limit their activities to the collection and analysis of observational data. The study population will consist of adult healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and healthcare support workers, who voluntarily participate in the workplace yoga program. Participants must be at least 18 years old and be available to attend at least 70% of the scheduled sessions. Individuals with conditions that contraindicate participation in yoga, according to the institutional procedures governing the program, will not be included. The workplace yoga program consists of 10 sessions conducted outside working hours. Each session lasts up to 60 minutes and includes three phases: an initial warm-up, a central phase involving yoga postures and breathing techniques, and a final phase involving meditation and relaxation. Sessions are conducted by certified instructors and scheduled according to staff shifts to facilitate access. Participants will undergo assessment at baseline, before the beginning of the program (T0), and at the end of the 10-week program (T1). The multidimensional assessment includes the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory to evaluate personal, work-related, and patient-related burnout; the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced to assess coping strategies; the Beck Depression Inventory to measure depressive symptoms; and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y to assess state and trait anxiety. At follow-up, participants will also complete an ad hoc satisfaction questionnaire rated on a scale from 0 to 10. The primary objective is to evaluate the change in burnout levels between baseline and follow-up, measured through the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory total score and its subscales. Secondary objectives include evaluating changes in coping strategies, depressive symptoms, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. Participant satisfaction with the workplace yoga program will also be described. Exploratory analyses may examine whether changes in psychological outcomes differ according to professional role, workplace site, or level of attendance and whether satisfaction is associated with changes in burnout and psychological well-being. The study does not involve the collection of clinical data, modification of participants' usual healthcare, or the administration of an experimental intervention. Its prospective observational approach aims to describe psychological and occupational changes associated with voluntary participation in an existing organizational yoga program. The results may contribute to the development of sustainable workplace well-being initiatives aimed at supporting healthcare professionals, reducing burnout risk, and promoting healthier organizational environments.