Occupational wellbeing types in the health care industry in South Africa
Bux, Ciara
The context of this research is the occupational wellbeing of employees in the healthcare industry in South
Africa. The purpose of this study was to identify occupational wellbeing types that cluster as a result of
variables (burnout, work engagement, workaholism and job satisfaction) which can be plotted on the
circumplex model of wellbeing, and determining the extent of type differences in as far as it pertains to
psychosocial antecedent variables (age, job demands, job resources and work-related sense of
coherence), as well as positive and negative outcome variables (comprising organisational commitment
and turnover intention). A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of healthcare
workers (N = 461). The population consisted of predominately black African females, aged between 31
and 45 from the nursing profession.
Cluster analysis using k-means found statistically significant support for three occupational wellbeing
types, namely, Exhausted, Engaged and Burned-Out. Results from MANOVA revealed a difference
between all occupational wellbeing types and the psychosocial antecedent variables of job demands, job
resources and work-related sense of coherence. The occupational wellbeing types did not however differ,
based on the age of the participants. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that age was
additionally not a significant predictor of the occupational wellbeing types, whilst Work-SoC predicted the
engaged type, and job demands and job resources predicted the engaged and exhausted types in
comparison to the burned-out type. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis concluded that each of
the occupational wellbeing types played a significant role by moderating the relationship between the
psychosocial antecedent variables of job resources and work-related sense of coherence, and the positive
and negative outcomes of organisational commitment and turnover intention.
Theoretically the study highlighted the importance of addressing the occupational wellbeing concerns and
challenges faced by healthcare employees in South Africa face. The empirical value of the study was the
identification of the occupational wellbeing types and a potential nomological net. The knowledge derived
from the relationship between the variables may be valuable in informing a holistic affective wellbeing
model which could direct practices within the healthcare industry in South Africa.
Bibliography: pages 273-351
↧