Association between fear of future workplace violence and burnout among pediatricians in China with psychological resilience as a moderator

Abstract Objectives: This study explored the relationship between fear of future workplace violence (FFWV) and burnout, and the moderating effect of psychological resilience on this relationship. Methods: We recruited 413 pediatricians from 26 specialized and general hospitals in China’s Shandong provinces and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region from August 2021 to April 2022. Fear of future workplace violence was measured using the Fear of Future Violence at Work Scale. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Psychological resilience was measured using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between FFWV and burnout. The SPSS PROCESS macro was used to examine the moderating effect of psychological resilience on this relationship. Results: About 85.7% of pediatricians experienced a medium or high level of fear. Fear of future workplace violence was significantly and positively associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment (B = 0.23, SE = 0.39, P < .001; B = 0.06, SE = 0.13, P < .001; B = 0.17, SE = 0.03, P < .001, respectively, where B denotes the unstandardized regression coefficient). The interaction effects of FFWV and psychological resilience on emotional exhaustion (B = −0.008; 95% CI, −0.01 to −0.004) and depersonalization (B = −0.003; 95% CI, −0.005 to −0.001) were statistically significant. The protective effect conforms to the “protective-stabilizing” model. Conclusions: Psychological resilience training may be beneficial for pediatricians in preventing high levels of emotional exhaustion and cynicism resulting from FFWV.