Burnout, Psychological Capital and Health during COVID-19 Social Isolation: A Longitudinal Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Drawing on the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic and its sanitary measures on coping strategies for preserving health, it is also necessary to add exposure to certain work stressors, such as burnout. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the confinement situation caused by COVID-19 on the levels of self-perceived health and psychological capital in a sample of workers, as well as to analyze whether exposure to burnout before social isolation would help to explain the levels of health and psychological capital. METHODS: Data were collected in a longitudinal design. Time 1 surveys (December 2019) were sent to a sample of 354 Spanish workers while in Time 2 (April 2020) the employees completed 235 questionnaires. RESULTS: Our findings indicate a significant worsening of employees' health perception (t = -4.13; p < 0.01) and psychological capital (4.10, p < 0.01) levels during mandatory confinement in Spain. Our results also revealed that emotional exhaustion is the only burnout dimension capable of explaining the variance of health while self-efficacy does regarding psychological capital. CONCLUSION: We conclude a significant reduction in self-perceived health and psychological capital during COVID-19 mandatory confinement, and that burnout acts as a predictor variable in both health and psychological capital variance.

Explaining Job Search Behavior in Unemployed Youngsters Beyond Perceived Employability: The Role of Psychological Capital.

Job search seems to be a daunting task for youngsters in the Spanish labor market, unfortunately so given that it is the best predictor of getting a job even during economic crisis. Accordingly, it is vitally important to find resources that promote youngsters' job search. The present study examines the effect of psychological capital on job search through perceived employability in a sample of Spanish unemployed youngsters. We analyzed data of 568 Spanish unemployed youngsters aged 16-29 years using structural equation modeling. Results showed that unemployed youngsters who possess high levels of psychological capital also perceive more control over job search which is directly connected with their job search intention. Surprisingly, analyses also showed that perceived employability is not an antecedent of job search. Instead, psychological capital seems to be a more beneficial resource for keeping unemployed youngsters engaged in job search in an adverse economic context.

Burnout, salud y capital psicológico: un acercamiento desde la teoría de la conservación de recursos / Burnout, self-perceived health and psychological capital: findings from the conservation of resources theory

La investigación realizada sobre Burnout ha mostrado de manera reiterada que es un síndrome presente en el contexto laboral con graves consecuencias para la salud del trabajador. De manera reciente, se ha propuesto la teoría de la conservación de Recursos de Hobfoll como un marco teórico válido para explicar la relación del Burnout con otras variables. Sin embargo, los estudios que proponen medidas eficaces para reducir los niveles de exposición al Burnout son escasos. El capital psicológico ha sido propuesto como una variable que podría ayudar a prevenir o disminuir los efectos de estresores de diversa índole sobre la salud de los trabajadores. Investigaciones previas han relacionado al capital psicológico de manera negativa y significativa con el Burnout. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar el papel mediador del capital psicológico en la relación entre las tres dimensiones del Burnout y la salud autopercibida de los trabajadores. La muestra está compuesta por 195 trabajadores españoles de distintos sectores de actividad. Los resultados muestran, por un lado, una asociación negativa y significativa de las tres dimensiones del Burnout con la salud autopercibida, y, por otro lado, una relación mediadora del capital psicológico entre las tres dimensiones del Burnout y la salud autopercibida de los trabajadores. Para finalizar, se pone de manifiesto la importancia de los recursos psicológicos personales para reducir las consecuencias negativas del Burnout en el bienestar de los empleados.

Previous Burnout research has repeatedly shown it as a workplace syndrome with serious consequences for employees' health and wellbeing. Recently Hobfoll's Conservation or Resources Theory has been proposed as a valid theoretical framework to explain the relationship of Burnout with other variables. However, the presence of effective measures to reduce Burnout exposure levels is scarce. Psychological capital has been proposed as a variable that could help prevent or reduce the effects of various kind of stressors on workers' health. Previous empirical evidence has argued that psychological capital is related in a negative and significant way to Burnout. The objective of this work is to analyze the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between the three Burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of self-efficacy) and employees' self-perceived health. For that purpose, the sample is composed of 195 Spanish workers from different economic sectors. The results show, on the one hand, a negative and significant association of the three dimensions of Burnout with self-perceived health, and, on the other hand, a mediating relationship of psychological capital between the three dimensions of Burnout and employees' self-perceived health. Finally, the importance of personal psychological resources to reduce Burnout negative consequences on employees' well-being is highlighted

The role of resilience between workplace bullying and health: a mediational analysis / El papel de la resiliencia en la relación entre el acoso psicológico en el trabajo y la salud: un análisis de mediación

Workplace bullying is a serious problem that may arise within any occupation or organisation. Situations of workplace bullying are highly stressful and affect the health of workers who experience them in a negative way. Resilience has beenidentified as an essential capacity to protect people's health. This study focuses on how resilience functions in situations of workplace bullying. By means of questionnaires, information about workplace bullying behaviours, resilience, andpsychological health in a sample of 762 workers was collected. The results show that exposure to bullying behaviours is related to poorer health, and resilience has a mediating role in the relationship between workplace bullying and employees'health. Main findings, limitations, and practical consequences of this study are discussed. The results obtained may serve to assist human resources managers and professionals when they are designing programs aimed at both controlling andpreventing workplace bullying within organisations

Las situaciones de acoso laboral son altamente estresantes y afectan negativamente a la salud de los trabajadores que las perciben. La resiliencia se ha identificado como una capacidad esencial para la protección de la salud de las personas. Este trabajo se centra en cómo actúa la resiliencia en las situaciones de acoso laboral, mediante el análisis de las relaciones y del papel mediador-moderador de la resiliencia entre el acoso laboral y la salud en una muestra de 762 trabajadores españoles. A través de cuestionarios se recogió información sobre conductas de acoso laboral y se evalúo la resiliencia yla salud psicológica autopercibida. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la exposición a conductas de acoso se relaciona con peor salud y que la resiliencia tiene un efecto mediador y no moderador entre el acoso laboral y la salud de los trabajadores. Se discuten los principales hallazgos de esta investigación, las limitaciones y sus implicaciones prácticas. Los resultados obtenidos pueden servir de ayuda a los directivos y profesionales de recursos humanos a la hora de diseñarprogramas que vayan dirigidos tanto al control y prevención de la violencia en las organizaciones como a desarrollar la resiliencia en los trabajadores

Propiedades psicométricas de la versión española de la escala de resiliencia de 10 ítems de Connor-Davidson (CD-RISC 10) en una muestra de desempleados / Psychometric properties of Spanish version of 10-item Connor-Davidson resilience scale (10-item CD-RISC) in an unemployed sample

El objetivo del estudio es analizar las propiedades psicométricas de la escala de resiliencia de Connor y Davidson (2003) en su versión reducida de 10 ítems (CD-RISC 10) desarrollada por Campbell-Stills y Stein (2007) y validada al español por Notario-Pacheco et al. (2011) en una muestra de 226 desempleados. Se llevó a cabo un análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC) que corroboró el modelo unifactorial. Siguiendo las aportaciones teóricas, se propusieron las variables de salud psicológica, síntomas psicosomáticos y autoeficacia para analizar la validez de criterio. Las correlaciones entre las variables fueron estadísticamente significativas y siguieron la dirección teórica esperada. Se concluye que la versión española de 10 ítems de la CD-RISC de Connor y Davidson (2003) presenta adecuadas propiedades psicométricas para estimar la resiliencia en desempleados españoles.

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish adaptation of the scale of resilience CD-RISC by Connor and Davidson (2003), in its 10-item version developed by Campbell-Stills and Stein (2007), in a sample of 226 unemployed. We carried out a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) which corroborated the univariate model. Following the theoretical contributions, we proposed psychological health, psychosomatic symptoms and self-efficacy as variables to analyze the criterion validity. The correlations between the variables were statistically significant and followed the expected theoretical direction. We concluded that the Spanish 10-item version of the CDRISC by Connor and Davidson (2003) presents adequate psychometric properties to estimate resilience in Spanish unemployed.

Measurement of Psychological Capital in Spanish workers: OREA questionnaire / Evaluación del Capital Psicolçogico en trabajadores españoles: diseño y estructura empírica del cuestionario OREA

Psychological capital is a higher order construct made up of optimism, resilience, hope, and self-efficacy, which has a strong connection with different organizational variables. The aim of this study was to design a measure for assessing psychological capital in the workplace. Two samples of workers were used (N=238; N=338) belonging to Spanish companies from different socioeconomic sectors. Using the results of the first sample, and by means of an exploratory factorial analysis, a scale of 12 items was created. The 12 items included four triplets, each of which matches with one of the elements of psychological capital. The scale was called OREA (due to the names of these concepts in Spanish: Optimismo, Resiliencia, Esperanza, and Autoeficacia - Optimism, Resilience, Hope, and Self-efficacy). This measure was then applied to the second sample, and a structural equation analysis was made in order to contrast a one-factor model with a four-factor model. The latter showed very adequate adjustment values (GFI= .943; CFI= .936; RMSEA= .07). We therefore conclude that the OREA questionnaire is a consistent measure of psychological capital in connection with the theoretical model, and it has sufficient evidence of reliability and validity (AU)

El capital psicológico es un constructor de orden superior formado por cuatro componentes (optimismo, resiliencia, esperanza y autoeficacia) que comprende el desarrollo de aquellas habilidades que tienen un impacto directo en el resultado de distintas variables organizativas. El objetivo de este estudio es el diseño de un cuestionario para evaluar el capital psicológico en el ámbito laboral. Se utilizaron dos muestras de trabajadores (N= 238; N= 338) pertenecientes a empresas de distintos sectores socioeconómicos de la Región de Murcia. Con los resultados de la primera muestra y mediante un análisis factorial exploratorio se confeccionó un cuestionario de 12 ítems, tres por cada una de las facetas del capital psicológico, que se denominó́ OREA (optimismo, resiliencia, esperanza y autoeficacia). A continuación, se aplicó́ el cuestionario a la segunda muestra y se realizó́ un análisis de ecuaciones estructurales, en el que el modelo de cuatro factores presentó valores de ajuste muy adecuados (GFI= .943; CFI= .936; RMSEA= .07). Se concluye que el cuestionario OREA presenta una estructura empírica acorde con el modelo teórico, y niveles de fiabilidad y validez adecuados (AU)