Understanding the Impact of Personal Resources on Emotional Exhaustion Among Emergency Healthcare Workers: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in burnout vulnerability in healthcare workers, which often translated into higher potential risks for their personal safety and that of their patients. This study was based on the JD-R model and explored emotional exhaustion and stress, as a result of a lack of personal resources such as self-efficacy to cope with stress and poor emotion regulation, and work demands, with the buffering effect of a healthy lifestyle. Methods: The sample was composed of 189 emergency healthcare workers from Spain, aged between 26 and 59 years old. A cross-sectional and correlational study was carried out through an online platform. Results: The mediation, moderation, and Structural Equation Modeling analyses supported the proposed model, demonstrating good fit to the data. Work demands showed both a positive direct effect and an indirect effect on emotional exhaustion through emotion regulation and stress. In turn, self-efficacy to cope with stress and healthy lifestyle showed indirect effects on emotional exhaustion, also through emotion regulation and stress. Further, healthy lifestyle moderated the relationship between stress and emotional exhaustion, by mitigating the negative influence of stress on emotional exhaustion. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of incorporating self-care in coping with stress and preventing burnout and should be considered when designing interventions in the context of emergency healthcare to improve well-being in its workers.