Exploring the Relationships Between Various Types of Burnout,Coping Strategies,and Resilience Among Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Background:

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between various types of burnout, coping strategies, and resilience among healthcare professionals through a transactional model of stress and coping framework.

Methods:

A sample of healthcare professionals (HCPs; N = 647) from various hospitals across China responded to an online questionnaire survey, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed interaction model.

Results:

Emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment negatively predicted resilience, while depersonalization positively predicted resilience. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization positively predicted emotion-oriented strategies, and depersonalization negatively predicted problem-oriented strategies. Reduced personal accomplishment negatively predicted problem-oriented and avoidance-oriented strategies. Emotion-oriented strategies negatively predicted resilience, while problem-oriented and avoidance-oriented strategies positively predicted resilience. Mediation analysis revealed that emotion-oriented strategies significantly mediated the relationships between emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and resilience; avoidance-oriented strategies significantly mediated the relationships between depersonalization, reduced personal accomplishment, and resilience; and problem-oriented strategies mediated the relationships between reduced personal accomplishment and resilience.

Conclusions/Applications to Practice:

The conclusions of this study may enhance the effectiveness of interventions for HCPs by providing insights into the specific effects of different burnout coping strategies. Particular attention should be given to HCPs experiencing a high level of reduced personal accomplishment burnout, and interventions for this subtype should emphasize problem-oriented strategies and the moderate adoption of avoidance strategies to best promote resilience.

Keywords

healthcare professionals burnout coping strategies resilience PLS-SEM

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