Psychological empowerment, work addiction, and burnout among mental health professionals

As job burnout is a world-wide phenomenon that threatens employees’ wellbeing in various occupations, researchers and managers are exploring potential protective factors against burnout, such as psychological empowerment. However, the complex interplay between psychological empowerment components (i.e., self-determination and impact) and work addiction, which is also associated with burnout, remained unknown, especially among mental health professionals (MHPs) who are vulnerable to burnout. This study hence aims to (1) investigate the associations between psychological empowerment components and MHPs’ burnout and (2) examine the mediating role of work addiction in such associations. A total of 199 fulltime MHPs recruited in Macao, China completed an online questionnaire survey. Results of the path analysis showed that the hypothesized mediation effects of work addiction on the associations between psychological empowerment components (i.e., self-determination and impact) and burnout were statistically significant. In the path model, work addiction was positively associated with burnout. Self-determination was negatively linked to both work addiction and burnout. Impact was positively associated with work addiction while its direct effect on burnout was nonsignificant. Under the theoretical framework of job demands-resources model, our findings revealed not only the risk-enhancing direct and mediation role of work addiction in burnout development, but also different mechanisms of specific psychological empowerment components involved in such mediation. Both the management and workers should collaboratively develop work environments that allow MHPs a high degree of autonomy, which increases self-determination, and implement workplace-based interventions that can protect MHPs from work addiction and burnout.