Trapped in the COVID-19 pandemic: The effect of risk concern and emotions on burnout among health care workers

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic poses critical challenges for the health care workers (HCWs) around the world due to the increasing demands imposed on health care systems. This study aims to investigate how risk concern impacts burnout via positive and negative affect. Further, the moderating role of risk exposure (low, medium, and high) in this parallel mediation model is examined. A sample of 257 Portuguese HCWs answered a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was applied. Results showed that risk concern positively influences negative affect – but not positive affect – and, consequently, burnout. Contrary to our expectations, this indirect effect was not greater for individuals in the high-risk group (vs. low-risk group), which can be explained by individual and organizational factors' buffering role. These findings draw healthcare organizations' attention to the hazardous effects of risk concern on HCWs' well-being.

Bibliometric visualisation of industrial and organisational psychology during COVID-19 pandemic: Insight for future research

“…Work environment factors are work change (task, setting and team) (Rodríguez-López et al, 2021 ; Sklar, Ehrhart, & Aarons, 2021 ), COVID-19 exposure at work (Sarboozi Hoseinabadi et al, 2020 ), salary reduction (Duarte et al, 2020 ), hospital resources (Sarboozi Hoseinabadi et al, 2020 ), work overload (Rodríguez-López et al, 2021 ; Shoja et al, 2020 ), the shift of work (Shoja et al, 2020 ), period of working hours (Dimitriu et al, 2020 ) and workload (Dimitriu et al, 2020 ). Personal factors include negative coping strategies (Crescenzo et al, 2021 ), risk concerns (Sousa, Almeida, & Leal, 2021 ), job expectations (Rodríguez-López et al, 2021 ), job stress (Sarboozi Hoseinabadi et al, 2020 ), lower job dedication (Huang et al, 2021 ), emotional intelligence (Olatunji, Idemudia, & Owoseni, 2020 ), life satisfaction and resilience (Di Trani, Mariani, Ferri, De Berardinis, & Frigo, 2021 ). Most of the studies were conducted on healthcare workers, whilst others provide a different point of view by examining burnout in participants from fashion retailing workers (Rodríguez-López et al, 2021 ) and social workers (Garcia, 2021 ).…”

The moderating role of age in the relationship between perceived over qualification, employability, job insecurity and global psychological needs satisfaction

“…As such, employability is seen as a personal resource, with general positive consequences for individuals and their career. Employability may be likely to increase the individual's sense of control over his career by preventing him from being stuck in his job and is significantly related to employees’ positive emotions, which expresses a positive affective state of enthusiasm and activeness (De Cuyper et al , 2012; Fugate and Kinicki, 2008; Sousa et al , 2021). Fugate and Kinicki (2008) tested the influence of employability on positive emotions related to organizational change such as confidence, security and pleasure.…”