Emotional exhaustion and job performance: The mediating role of motivation.

The literature concerning the relationship between emotional exhaustion and performance led researchers to raise questions about the extent to which the variables are related. In 2 time-lagged samples, the authors found that motivation mediates the emotional exhaustion-job performance relationship. Moreover, the authors found that participants appear to target their investment of resources in response to emotional exhaustion to develop social support through social exchange; specifically, emotional exhaustion was associated with communion striving resources that were manifest in the form of organizational citizenship behaviors targeted at individuals. Implications of this relationship for theories of burnout and for management practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spousal support and coping among married coworkers: Merging the transaction stress and Conservation of Resources models.

Researchers concerned with the interface between work and family have begun to explore the implications of married coworkers: employees who work in the same occupation or workplace as their spouse. The purpose of this paper is to expand on that work by exploring how married coworkers cope with work-related stress when compared to typical dual-career employees. We hypothesize that married coworkers utilize different coping mechanisms because of the additional resources provided by their spouse and present a study of police officers (n = 611) and a study of working adults (n = 369) that provide support for this prediction. We conclude by discussing the implications of this research for the management of stress at work and provide directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of exhaustion and workarounds in predicting occupational injuries: A cross-lagged panel study of health care professionals.

Occupational injuries remain an important concern for employers, particularly in the health care industry where injury rates have increased despite decreases in other industries. Testing the notion of resource investment from conservation of resources theory, I predicted that exhaustion would be associated with a greater likelihood of safety workarounds (alternative work processes undertaken to “work around” a perceived block in work flow, such as a safety procedure). Furthermore, I hypothesized that safety workarounds would lead to a greater frequency and severity of occupational injuries. I found support for this mediation model with a 2-sample, 3-wave survey study of a variety of health care professionals (nurses, sonographers, and others). I discuss the implications of this research for future research in occupational safety and provide ideas for the reduction of injuries through action research strategies that reduce burnout and workarounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The moderating effect of work-linked couple relationships and work–family integration on the spouse instrumental support-emotional exhaustion relationship.

Based on boundary theory and conservation of resources theory, we argue that employees with a spouse in the same occupation or workplace (referred to as work-linked couples) enhance the effectiveness of spousal instrumental support in reducing emotional exhaustion. In the first study of nurses (n = 103), we found that work-linked couples have more highly integrated work and family roles than participants whose spouses did not share an occupation or workplace. In a second study of working adults (n = 484), we found that work-linked couples have a stronger relationship between spouse instrumental support and the reduction of emotional exhaustion; this moderated relationship was mediated by their work–family integration. We discuss the implications of these findings for the study of work and family roles, social support, and emotional exhaustion, and provide suggestions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"“Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model" by Jonathon R. B. Halbesleben (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2006[Sep], Vol 91[5], 1134-1145). There were errors in transcribing the ρ values from Table 2 to the results section. In the second paragraph of page 1138, the second and third sentences should read “In the present study, work-related support was more strongly related to exhaustion (ρ = -.26) than depersonalization (ρ = -.23) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .24; F(2, 111) = 24.13, p > .01). On the other hand, non-work support was more strongly related to depersonalization (ρ = -.16) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .19) than exhaustion (ρ = -.12; F(2, 38) = 3.83, p > .05).” The values in Table 2 are correct and the substantive conclusions have not changed. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-11397-012.) The Conservation of Resources (COR) model of burnout (Hobfoll & Freedy, 1993) suggests that resources are differentially related to burnout dimensions. In this paper, I provide a meta-analysis of the social support and burnout literature, finding that social support, as a resource, did not yield different relationships across the 3 burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), challenging the COR model. However, when considering the source of the social support (work vs. nonwork) as a moderator, I found that work-related sources of social support, because of their more direct relationship to work demands, were more closely associated with exhaustion than depersonalization or personal accomplishment; the opposite pattern was found with nonwork sources of support. I discuss the implications of this finding in relation to the COR model and suggest future research directions to clarify the relationship between resources and burnout dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 96(1) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2010-24169-001). There were errors in transcribing the ρ values from Table 2 to the results section. In the second paragraph of page 1138, the second and third sentences should read “In the present study, work-related support was more strongly related to exhaustion (ρ = -.26) than depersonalization (ρ = -.23) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .24; F(2, 111) = 24.13, p > .01). On the other hand, non-work support was more strongly related to depersonalization (ρ = .16) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .19) than exhaustion (ρ = -.12; F(2, 38) = 3.83, p > .05).” The values in Table 2 are correct and the substantive conclusions have not changed.] [Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2010-24169-001). There were errors in transcribing the ρ values from Table 2 to the results section. In the second paragraph of page 1138, the second and third sentences should read “In the present study, work-related support was more strongly related to exhaustion (ρ = -.26) than depersonalization (ρ = -.23) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .24; F(2, 111) = 24.13, p > .01). On the other hand, non-work support was more strongly related to depersonalization (ρ = -.16) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .19) than exhaustion (ρ = -.12; F(2, 38) = 3.83, p > .05).” The values in Table 2 are correct and the substantive conclusions have not changed.] The Conservation of Resources (COR) model of burnout (Hobfoll & Freedy, 1993) suggests that resources are differentially related to burnout dimensions. In this paper, I provide a meta-analysis of the social support and burnout literature, finding that social support, as a resource, did not yield different relationships across the 3 burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), challenging the COR model. However, when considering the source of the social support (work vs. nonwork) as a moderator, I found that work-related sources of social support, because of their more direct relationship to work demands, were more closely associated with exhaustion than depersonalization or personal accomplishment; the opposite pattern was found with nonwork sources of support. I discuss the implications of this finding in relation to the COR model and suggest future research directions to clarify the relationship between resources and burnout dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Too engaged? A conservation of resources view of the relationship between work engagement and work interference with family.

In a number of studies, researchers interested in positive organizational behavior have sought to better understand the favorable aspects of work engagement—a pervasive state of emotional attachment and motivation toward work. In this study, however, we investigate a potentially negative outcome of engagement. Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, we hypothesize that engagement will be associated with higher work interference with family due to the resources engaged employees may expend when they engage in extrarole work behavior such as organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). We further propose that conscientiousness, as a personal resource, serves to buffer the relationship between OCB and work interference with family. Examining multisource data, collected at multiple points in time, from 3 diverse samples (total N = 844), we find that state engagement is associated with higher levels of work interference with family and that this relationship is mediated by the performance of OCBs. The findings also indicate that engaged employees who are highly conscientious experience lower levels of work interference with family than engaged employees who are less conscientious. The implications of our study and directions for future research are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)