Self-Efficacy as a Moderator between Stress and Professional Burnout in Firefighters

Marta Makara-Studzińska, Krystyna Golonka and Bernadetta Izydorczyk
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Marta Makara-Studzińska: Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Kopernika 25, 31-501 Kraków, Poland
Krystyna Golonka: Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 4, 30-348 Kraków, Poland
Bernadetta Izydorczyk: Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 4, 30-348 Kraków, Poland

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: The purpose of the study is to analyze the importance of individual resources in firefighting, one of the highest risk professions. Firefighters from 12 different Polish provinces ( N = 580; men; M (mean age) = 35.26 year, SD = 6.74) were analyzed regarding the perceived stress at work, burnout, self-efficacy, and a broad range of sociodemographic variables. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ), and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) were used in the study. To explore the relationships between work-related stress, burnout, and self-efficacy, separate regression models for each burnout dimension were analyzed. The results revealed that self-efficacy is a significant moderator that changes the direction and strength of the relationships between perceived stress and psychophysical exhaustion, sense of professional inefficacy, and disillusion. However, self-efficacy did not moderate the relationship between stress and lack of engagement in relationships (relationship deterioration). The results indicate that self-efficacy in firefighters is a crucial personal resource that buffers the impact of perceived stress on most burnout symptoms. It may be concluded that in high risk professions, special attention should be paid to developing self-efficacy as an important part of burnout prevention programs, pro-health activities, and psychoeducation.

Keywords: burnout; perceived stress; self-efficacy; firefighters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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