Burnout and Resilience in Foreign Service Spouses during the Pandemic, and the Role of Organizational Support

Svala Gudmundsdottir (), Karen Larsen, Melissa Woods Nelson, Jarka Devine Mildorf and Dorota Molek-Winiarska
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Svala Gudmundsdottir: Department of Business Administration, School of Social Sciences, Gimli Sæmundargata, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland
Karen Larsen: EUFASA Research Department, EUFASA AISBL, Boulevard Bischoffsheim 39-4, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Melissa Woods Nelson: EUFASA Research Department, EUFASA AISBL, Boulevard Bischoffsheim 39-4, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Jarka Devine Mildorf: EUFASA Research Department, EUFASA AISBL, Boulevard Bischoffsheim 39-4, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Dorota Molek-Winiarska: Human Resources Management Department, Faculty of Management, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: Little is known about foreign service spouses’ resilience and experience with stress, or which organizational supports are most effective for them in a crisis. The aims of this study were therefore to (1) measure resilience and personal burnout among foreign service spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) test whether resilience was associated with personal burnout; and (3) investigate which organizational supports from Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs), if any, were associated with resilience or personal burnout. A total of 421 foreign service spouses (316 women and 105 men, 89% from European MFAs) completed an online survey; data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Nearly a third of respondents (31%) had moderate personal burnout and 4.5% had high or severe personal burnout. Higher resilience was significantly correlated with lower personal burnout scores. While knowledge that they would be evacuated if necessary was significantly correlated with greater resilience, only 27.3% of respondents knew of this support. A designated contact person at the MFA, and knowledge of a policy abroad to reduce Covid-related risks were associated with lower personal burnout scores. This study provides a baseline for resilience and personal burnout in this population, and suggests which organizational supports may be most effective during a crisis.

Keywords: diplomatic spouse; foreign service spouse; expatriate; foreign service; resilience; burnout; organizational support; expatriate management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2435-:d:1050917

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