Emotional demands and burnout: Differential moderating effect of job resources and age

Tímea Zsuzsanna Popucza

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-20

Abstract: This study, based on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, investigates how perceived and contact-related emotional demands contribute to burnout, and whether job resources -deep acting, meaning of work, work control, and social support at work-buffer these effects. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among professionals in healthcare, care, and human service roles (N = 1,506). Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine moderating effects of job resources on the relationships between emotional demands and the burnout dimensions of exhaustion and disengagement. Both types of emotional demands were positively associated with both burnout dimensions. While job resources were generally negatively associated with exhaustion and disengagement, they did not moderate the effects of emotional demands in the expected buffering direction. Instead, meaning of work and social support amplified the relationships between contact-related and perceived emotional demands, respectively, and exhaustion. Exploratory analyses revealed no significant linear or curvilinear age-based moderation, suggesting that these moderation patterns function similarly across age groups. Overall, the findings indicate that while job resources may reduce general burnout, they are not universally protective in emotionally demanding work. This study highlights the need to refine the JD-R assumption that resources consistently buffer job demands and underscores the importance of identifying alternative resources and targeted interventions in emotionally demanding roles.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0351940

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0351940

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