Perceived stress and burnout syndrome : A moderated mediation model of self-efficacy and psychological comfort among polish air traffic controllers

How can one protect oneself against stress and burnout syndrome? What is the role of human cognitive processes? This study explores the moderated mediation effects of the trait of self-efficacy in a mode of perceived stress and burnout syndrome in a group of Polish air traffic controllers. The first aim of this study was to develop a better understanding of the construct of perceived stress. We proposed a latent variable, called psychological comfort, to clarify the role of self-efficacy in relation: stress and burnout. The second aim was to test the assumptions about the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between stress and burnout via the level of psychological comfort. The most important aim was to investigate whether the direct and indirect associations between stress and burnout were moderated by the level of psychological comfort. For the study, self-report questionnaires were distributed to 609 active air traffic controllers from 18 air traffic control centers of the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA). Three hundred forty sets of questionnaires were returned (55.88%) of which 110 were correctly completed (return rate - 18.1%). We formulated 5 hypotheses. Two of them were confirmed: the indirect effect of perceived stress on occupational burnout via general self-efficacy was significant and the indirect relationship between perceived stress and occupational burnout would be different for air traffic controllers characterized by various levels of psychological comfort. The study emphasizes the role of certain human cognitive resources which may play a role in the relationship between stress and burnout: self-efficacy, perceived stress, and psychological comfort. There are important practical conclusions from the research. Knowing about the level of psychological comfort helps to plan better actions to protect against the negative impact of chronic stress on cognitive functions and against the development of clinical symptoms of burnout syndrome.