The Influence of Perceived Organizational Support on Police Job Burnout: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

Objective: Based on the theory of perceived organizational support (POS), conservation of resource (COR) and job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this study establishes a moderated mediation model to test the role of job satisfaction in mediating the relationship between POS and job burnout, as well as the role of regulatory emotional self-efficacy (RES) in moderating the above mediating process.Methods: A total of 784 police officers were surveyed with the POS Scale, the Job Burnout Questionnaire, the RES Scale, and the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire.Results: (1) After controlling for gender, seniority, age, police classification, education, and marital status, regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation between POS and burnout (r = −0.42, p < 0.01), and the former had a significant negative predictive effect on job burnout (β = −0.42, p < 0.001). (2) The mediating effect test shows that job satisfaction plays a partial role in mediating the relationship between POS and job burnout. (3) Through the analysis of the moderated mediation model test, RES moderates the first half of the path of "POS → job satisfaction → job burnout." Conclusion:POS not only directly affects police job burnout but also indirectly affects police job burnout through job satisfaction. RES enhances the influence of organizational support on job satisfaction. This study indicates the combined effect of POS, job satisfaction, and RES on job burnout and has certain guiding significance for alleviating police job burnout.

Why So Cynical? The Effect of Job Burnout as a Mediator on the Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Cynicism

“…The results indicated that the level of perceived organizational support is an antecedent of burnout syndrome experienced at work by employees in the medical sector, and the analysis showed that POS has a significant negative effect on personnel job burnout. The findings are consistent with previous studies such as (Zeng et al, 2020;Özyer et al, 2016;Yaghoubi et al, 2014;Alves et al, 2014;Grama & Băiaș, 2018;Walter & Raybould, 2007;Anomneze et al, 2016). In the same vein, we argue that employees who perceive their organizations as supportive and caring are less likely to experience a high level of burnout in their jobs.…”

“…supported by (Anomneze, Ugwu, Enwereuzor, & Ugwu, 2016) findings that POS significantly predicts exhaustion at work. According to (Zeng, Zhang, Chen, Liu, & Wu, 2020) POS has a significant negative predictive effect on workplace burnout. (Walters & Raybould, 2007) found that the higher the level of POS the lower the levels of exhaustion and cynicism, and their findings suggested that social and environmental factors should be considered when studying burnout in the workplace.…”

“…Organizational cynicism is a final reaction result from employees' negative attitudes towards the organization (AKÇAY, 2017;James, 2005). A large body of literature has confirmed a negative relationship between POS and job burnout (e.g., Zeng et al, 2020;Özyer et al, 2016;Alves et al, 2014;Grama & Băiaș, 2018;Anomneze et al, 2016). Job burnout is also found to be positively associated with organizational cynicism (e.g., Akhigbe & Oyam, 2017;Eryesil & Öztürk, 2016;Sunhyuk, et al, 2019;Merrill, 2020).…”

“…According to (Grama & Băiaș, 2018) as medical staff spends most of their time at work, they need special working conditions, a high level of organizational support, and respect. When company policies, supervision, rewards, and work conditions are perceived poorly, employees tend to have higher levels of job burnout, as they feel neglected by their organizations (Zeng, Zhang, Chen, Liu, & Wu, 2020). Drawing on SET and supporting (Abraham, 2000;Trais et al, 2005)'s notion that cynicism is a stressors-coping strategy, the current study proposes that POS affects organizational cynicism through the emotional state (i: e burnout); that is, job burnout plays a mediating role in the relationship between POS and organizational cynicism.…”

“…Based on the theory of perceived organizational support (POS), "employees form a general belief regarding the extent to which their organizations care about their well-being and value their contributions" (Eisenberger, et al, 1986), POS is ensured when employees believe that help is available and will be given whenever is needed to perform their jobs effectively and to deal with stressful situations (George, Reed, Ballard, Colin, & Fielding, 1993). POS has been found to be a vital predictor of organizational cynicism (Guzel et al, 2011;Kasalak & Aksu, 2014;SOYSAL et al, 2017;Aly et al, 2016;Byrne, 2008;PEPLINSKI, 2014), and job burnout (Zeng, et al, 2020;Özyer, et al, 2016;Yaghoubi et al, 2014;Neves, et al, 2014;Grama & Băiaș, 2018;Walter & Raybould, 2007;Anomneze et al, 2016).…”