Does Professional Self-Efficacy Provide a Shield in Troubling Situations? Evidence of Performance and Thriving Through Perceived Strength Use

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a more stressful and uncertain work environments, disrupting personal and organizational lives, and particularly the impact of this crises on health care professionals (i.e., doctors and nurses) is unprecedented. COVID-19 has increased the workload and job risks for frontline health care professionals, causing them significant emotional stress. In such testing times, individual’s personal effectiveness ensued by the utilization of one’s personal energy may be helpful in not only ensuring wellbeing but also providing other desired results, for example, enhanced performance. Based on this notion, we conducted a study (amidst the third wave in mid-2021) using a multi-wave design to investigate the role of professional self-efficacy of health care professionals in well-being and behavioral outcomes during crises of COVID-19. The hypothesized relationships were tested by collecting data from 361 frontline healthcare professionals dealing with COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Northern part of Pakistan. The study results verified our assumed relationships and revealed that health care workers’ professional self-efficacy was positively related to their well-being, in terms of workplace thriving, and it also showed positive association with work role performance. In addition, the results of the study also revealed that perceived strengths use mediated the relationship between professional self-efficacy and outcomes. This study discusses implications, limitations, and future directions in detail, including how the findings can be used to inform interventions and support healthcare professionals dealing with the emotional and professional stresses brought on by the pandemic.