The relationships of change in work climate with changes in burnout and depression: a 2-year longitudinal study of Chinese mental health care workers.
Mental health care workers face heavy emotional demand and are prone to work burnout. Work burnout has been associated with poor mental health and work climate, which refers to individual perceptions about work setting. The purpose of this study was to examine whether intra-individual changes in work climate were associated with intra-individual changes in burnout and depression over two years. The present sample included Chinese mental health care workers (N = 312; mean age = 38.6, SD = 9.9) working in a psychosocial rehabilitation institution. The participants completed questionnaires on work climate, work burnout and depression at seven time points across two years. Parallel process latent growth modeling was used to analyze the associations of change between work climate and burnout and depression. Work climate displayed a logarithmic decreasing trend while burnout and depression displayed logarithmic increasing trends over two years. Baseline levels of work climate were negatively and moderately associated with baseline levels of burnout and depression (r = -.44 to -.60, p < .01). Changes in work climate were negatively and moderately associated with change in burnout (r = -.43, p < .01) and change in depression (r = -.31, p < .05). Change in burnout was positively and strongly associated (r = .58, p < .01) with change in depression. The current results support temporal relationships among changes in work climate, burnout and depression across time. Practical implications for future preventive work in burnout interventions were discussed within this population.
a Centre on Behavioral Health , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.
Ted C T
TCT
Fong
a Centre on Behavioral Health , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.|b Department of Social Work & Social Administration , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.
Rainbow T H
RTH
Ho
c The Providence Garden for Rehab , Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.
Friendly S W
FSW
Au-Yeung
a Centre on Behavioral Health , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.
C Y
CY
Sing
c The Providence Garden for Rehab , Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.
K Y
KY
Law
c The Providence Garden for Rehab , Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.
L F
LF
Lee
b Department of Social Work & Social Administration , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , Special Administrative Region, China.
S M
SM
Ng
Latent growth modeling; change; longitudinal analysis; mental health; organizational climate