Strength use and workers' job burnout in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The mediating role of psychological capital

Abstract Aim This research aimed to explore the link of strength use with job burnout and investigate the role of psychological capital in the strength use–job burnout relationship among Chinese workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Design A descriptive, cross‐sectional design. Method This study was conducted from September to October 2020. A total of 351 employees working at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from five cities in China completed a series of valid and reliable instruments, namely, Strengths Use Questionnaire, Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire and Job Burnout Questionnaire. The PROCESS macro was used to test our hypotheses. Results We found that people with higher strength use had lower job burnout compared with those with lower levels of strength use. Furthermore, resilience and hope acted as mediators of the relationship between strength use and job burnout. Moreover, resilience and hope played equally important roles in the strength use–job burnout relationship. Conclusion Resilience and hope mediate the association of strength use with job burnout in workers of Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Impact Health authorities can alleviate employees' job burnout by encouraging strength use and building their psychological capital, especially resilience and hope.