Occupational Stress and Job Burnout of Female Medical Staff: The Moderating Role of Psychological Capital and Social Support

Abstract

The medical field is quite challenging as employees have to work day and night under extreme pressure and long and irregular working hours. This work pressure and exhaustion lead to occupational stress. Occupational stress, when unaddressed, leads to burnout which severely affects the physical and mental health of females in the medical field. This study investigates the relationship between occupational stress and job burnout on a sample of female medical staff working in the public health sector with the moderating role of psychological capital and social support between the relationship of occupational stress and job burnout. The research comprises a sample of 250 female medical employees that are working in public hospitals of the twin cities of Pakistan Results show that occupational stress causes job burnout, and psychological capital moderates the relation between occupational stress and job burnout. The three dimensions of psychological capital, namely, self-efficacy, resilience, and Hope, moderate the relation while optimism does not moderate the relationship. Results also show that family support acts as a moderator between stress and burnout, but supervisory support does not moderate the relationship. This study highlights that coping strategies help medical health workers in dealing with stress and burnout. In addition, family support plays an essential role in minimizing the stress of female health workers. Therefore, the administration of hospitals should arrange training to enhance the psychological capital of their health workers to keep them stress-free and ultimately efficient in their work.