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Which constructs can predict emotional exhaustion in a working population? A study into its determinants
Author(s) -
Michielsen Helen J.,
Croon Marcel A.,
Willemsen Tineke M.,
De Vries Jolanda,
Van Heck Guus L.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.1129
Subject(s) - psychology , stressor , emotional exhaustion , psychosocial , coping (psychology) , social support , personality , workload , path analysis (statistics) , developmental psychology , population , burnout , structural equation modeling , avoidance coping , clinical psychology , social psychology , psychiatry , medicine , statistics , mathematics , computer science , operating system , environmental health
The main objective of this study was to examine the psychosocial stress model developed by Taylor and Aspinwall with emotional exhaustion as the outcome variable. Respondents, 409 men and 346 women, who had a paid job for at least 20 hours per week, completed questionnaires concerning demographic variables, personality, temperament, work pressure, workload, perceived social support, appraisal, coping, and emotional exhaustion. Structural equation analyses provided only partial support for the validity of the model. First, on theoretical and statistical grounds, one more path linking external resources to social support was added. Second, contrary to expectations, coping styles did not predict emotional exhaustion. To conclude, when coping is measured retrospectively, it does not add to our understanding of emotional exhaustion. It is suggested that future studies should be longitudinal and include objective measures of stressors and psychosocial health outcomes in addition to self‐reports. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.