Psychological Capital and Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Burnout among Healthcare Professionals

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Feb 6;21(2):185. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21020185.

Abstract

Psychological capital (PsyCap) has been identified as an individual's positive psychological state of development that can help to reduce negative organizational outcomes. However, there is still a gap in understanding how PsyCap influences different aspects of organizations. This study investigates the mediating role of burnout in the relationship between PsyCap and turnover intentions among healthcare professionals. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 320 healthcare professionals. The estimation of the relationships between PsyCap, burnout, and turnover intentions was obtained through structural equation modelling (SEM). A mediation analysis was carried out using bootstrapping procedures. The results show that burnout has a significant and positive effect on turnover intention and PsyCap has a significant and negative effect on burnout. Moreover, burnout fully mediates the relationship between PsyCap and turnover intention. These findings suggest that PsyCap can effectively reduce negative outcomes like burnout, but its positive impact may be limited when considering other outcomes such as turnover intention.

Keywords: burnout; healthworkers; positive psychology; psychological capital; turnover intention.

MeSH terms

  • Burnout, Professional* / epidemiology
  • Burnout, Professional* / psychology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Health Personnel
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Personnel Turnover
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.