**1. Introduction**

Evidence indicates that in the face of catastrophes, natural disasters and conflicts, social services and care workers are exposed to higher levels of demands [1]. Indeed, due to vicarious stress, which is developed from working with vulnerable populations, and from their own experience of the catastrophe, social service workers could develop higher stress levels, affecting their well-being and quality of life [2, 3].

In this way, regarding the coronavirus disease established as a pandemic in March 2020 [4], it is possible to project high levels of stress and affectation on the quality of life of social care workers. Indeed, care workers were strained worldwide as the health and social care systems were quickly overwhelmed by the virus's rapid spread and the limited availability of effective treatments [5]. At the same time, social care workers, like any citizen, had to face the closure of entire cities, the limitations of displacement and the health crisis, generating an impact on their quality of life [6, 7].

Due to the effects of the pandemic on their lives and jobs, it is necessary to know the effect that the COVID-19 disease has had on the quality of life of care social service workers. While studies are available for similar populations such as health workers, the reality of care workers has not been addressed. On the other hand, although there are studies focusing on well-being and stress in the care workforce in times of COVID-19, there are no studies that research the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life of these workers.

Studying this question is quite relevant, especially concerning the strategies to be developed to face post-traumatic stress, exhaustion, and vicarious stress that naturally follows situations of catastrophe or disasters [8]. In this sense, the information will allow practitioners to design strategies to cope with stress and promote the well-being and quality of life of those who work in the care industry. Likewise, this study collaborates with the generation of knowledge about the effect of the pandemic on the quality of life.

In this way, this study sought to analyze the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life of social care workers in Chile to guide social and care service managers to face the effect that COVID-19 has had on the well-being of social services workers.
