The Role of Soft Skills in Enhancing Service Satisfaction in Psychiatric Hospitals: A Quantitative Analysis (A mental hospital that has been the scene of the most significant protracted conflict and tsunami in the history of the world)

Alfridsyah, Alfridsyah and Zaman, Nasrul and Sujiati, Elly (2025) The Role of Soft Skills in Enhancing Service Satisfaction in Psychiatric Hospitals: A Quantitative Analysis (A mental hospital that has been the scene of the most significant protracted conflict and tsunami in the history of the world). Open Access Research Journal of Science and Technology, 14 (2). 041-048. ISSN 2782-9960

Background: The quality of services in psychiatric hospitals, especially in areas with psychosocial trauma due to prolonged conflicts and natural disasters such as in Aceh, is strongly influenced by the social skills (soft skills) of health workers. Effective interpersonal interaction is essential for patient recovery and satisfaction, but the quantitative impact of these soft skills is still under-researched in such a challenging context. Objective: This study aims to quantitatively analyze the influence of soft skills of health workers which include the dimensions of communication, teamwork, leadership, ethics, and information on the level of patient service satisfaction in a psychiatric hospital in Aceh, Indonesia. Methods: This study used a quantitative design with a survey method. A sample of 303 patients who received outpatient treatment was selected using convenience sampling techniques. Data were collected through a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0 software. Results: The results of the analysis showed that teamwork had the most dominant influence on patient satisfaction (coefficient of 0.601; t-statistic of 5.558), followed by communication (coefficient of 0.265; t-statistic of 3.345). In contrast, the dimensions of leadership (coefficient -0.051) and ethics (coefficient of 0.064) did not show a significant influence in this study. Conclusions: Soft skills of health workers, particularly teamwork and communication, significantly improve patient satisfaction in psychiatric hospitals in post-conflict and post-disaster contexts. These findings underscore the importance of integrating soft skills training into professional development programs for healthcare workers to improve the quality of service and patient experience.