SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1539105
This article is part of the Research TopicNovel Intervention Models Transcending Borders for Stress Management - Volume IIIView all 19 articles
Prevalence of Burnout and Its Risk and Protective Factors Among Healthcare Workers in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Authors and Affiliations
Provisionally accepted
Mohammed Alhassan1*
Mohammed Alarabi2
Shaden Abdulrahman Alhassan3Waled M. Albalawi4Ebraheem S. AlRabiah5- 1Majmaah University, Al Majma'ah, Saudi Arabia
- 2Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 3Dar Al Uloom University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 4King Salman Armed Forces Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
- 5Edrak Medical Center,, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Background: Burnout, defined as persistent work-related stress, is a critical concern among healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly in high-demand environments such as the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) region. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of burnout and examine its associated risk and protective factors among HCWs in the MENAT context. Methods: A comprehensive search of studies published between 2013 and 2024 identified 123 studies involving 36,769 participants. Only studies using the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) were included. Burnout was evaluated across its three dimensions: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). The protocol is registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251051167). Results: The pooled prevalence was 40% for high emotional exhaustion, 31% for high depersonalization, and 38% for low personal accomplishment. The overall mean scores were 22.02 for EE, 10.07 for DP, and 25.49 for PA. Substantial heterogeneity across studies reflected wide variation in healthcare system capacity and workforce conditions. Burnout was more pronounced in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey. Common risk factors included high workload, lack of institutional support, younger age, and female gender. Protective factors were linked to increased autonomy, leadership support, and strong peer relationships. Conclusion: Burnout is prevalent among HCWs across the MENAT region, with significant variability across countries. Targeted interventions to reduce occupational stressors and enhance protective workplace structures are urgently needed to safeguard provider well-being and improve healthcare delivery.
Keywords: burnout, Healthcare workers, work stress, MBI-HSS, MENAT region, Emotional exhaustion, Depersonalization, Personal accomplishment
Received: 03 Dec 2024; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alhassan, Alarabi, Alhassan, Albalawi and AlRabiah. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mohammed Alhassan, malhassan@mu.edu.sa
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