How and When Does Inclusive Leadership Curb Psychological Distress During a Crisis? Evidence From the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Traumatic events such as a pandemic shatter the assumption of the workplace as a safe place. Nurses face risks of life-threatening infection, which can create psychological distress. Quality of care for infected patients depends on mental well-being of nurses which calls for research on predictors of stress among health care workers. Responding to a call for research on the effects of leadership styles on psychological distress during traumatic events, this paper uses the theoretical lens of social exchange theory and contributes to literature on relationships between inclusive leadership, psychological distress, work engagement, and self-sacrifice. Participants of this cross sectional study included 497 registered nurses from five hospitals in Wuhan. Data were collected with temporal separation through an online questionnaire. Partial least-squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. Results show inclusive leadership has a significant negative relationship with psychological distress. Work engagement mediates this relationship, and nurses’ self-sacrificial behavior moderates it. Findings indicate inclusive leadership style serves as a sustainable mechanism to reduce psychological distress during pandemics. It can operationalize the delivery of mental health support in real-time in work settings. Results provide empirical support for social exchange theory through high work engagement to help control psychological distress among nurses.

Factors Associated With Psychological Distress in Health-Care Workers During an Infectious Disease Outbreak: A Rapid Systematic Review of the Evidence

“…Notably, the 57 studies that found that female sex was a significant risk factor spanned six different infectious diseases (MERS, SARS, COVID-19, H1N1, H7N9, and SARS), suggesting that being a female HCW increases vulnerability for distress more generally when working during an infectious outbreak. Notably, among the studies 30 studies that did not find that being female created significant risk for distress, eleven (36.6%) were conducted with nurses and included predominantly female participants ( 24 , 43 , 44 , 59 , 70 , 79 , 80 , 89 , 108 , 140 , 153 ).…”

“…In nurses working during the SARS outbreak in Canada, higher perceived organizational support in the form of receiving positive performance feedback from doctors and co-workers, was associated with lower perceptions of SARS-related threat and reduced feelings of emotional exhaustion ( 59 ). Similarly, nurses, physicians, and HCW working during the MERS, COVID-19, and SARS outbreaks who perceived support from their supervisors and colleagues, experienced better mental health in the form of lower PTSD symptoms, lower distress, and being less likely to develop psychiatric symptoms, respectively ( 24 , 28 , 41 , 54 , 59 , 70 , 79 , 80 , 88 , 99 , 116 ).…”

Work Engagement in Nurses during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…With regard to work engagement, from an international perspective, studies such as the one by Ahmed et al [ 36 ] on a sample of 497 registered nurses from five hospitals in Wuhan offered even higher values in levels of work engagement during the health crisis. In fact, they obtained high values in vigor 5.39 (SD = 0.46), dedication 5.51 (SD = 0.41), and total work engagement 5.44 (SD = 0.41), and very high values in absorption 5.43 (SD = 0.45).…”

“…Recent studies have shown that improving the level of work engagement of nurses increases job satisfaction and the sense of coherence, and therefore also their emotional well-being in the development of their profession [ 15 , 36 ]. This improvement in emotional well-being, closely related to increased work engagement, promotes increased resilience to the stress and work overload that characterizes healthcare needs in the current COVID-19 pandemic [ 15 ].…”

Well—That was a surprise!

“…What is the role of the leader in making the most of the human capital in their organizations during times of crises? (see Ahmed, Zhao, & Faraz, 2020 for example). How can employee knowledge, skills, and abilities be developed and harnessed in these contexts? I am hoping that we all experience many positive surprises this upcoming year.…”