Stress-Buffering and Health-Protective Effect of Job Autonomy, Good Working Climate, and Social Support at Work Among Health Care Workers in Switzerland

Abstract

Objective: The relationship between work stress, job resources, and health has not yet been investigated among health professionals in Switzerland.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey data, collected among hospital employees in German-speaking Switzerland, have been used for this study. Established measures were used to assess work stress as the main predictor and self-rated health and work-related burnout as the outcome variables. Validated measures for job autonomy, work climate, and social support at work were used as intervening variables.

Results: The studied job resources were all found to be quite strongly and negatively associated with the two health outcomes but only partly explained and reduced the extraordinary strong positive association and clear dose-response relationship between work stress and poor self-rated health or burnout.

Conclusion: Job resources like these cannot completely prevent health professionals from negative health-related consequences of work stress.