Abstract
BackgroundWith the increasing spread of COVID-19, healthcare workers, especially front-line medical staff, have become more vulnerable to emotional exhaustion.ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the influence of time pressure on the emotional exhaustion of front-line healthcare workers, and explore the effects of social sharing and cognitive reappraisal on this.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2020. A total of 232 questionnaires were completed by front-line healthcare workers in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. Hierarchical linear regression and conditional process analysis were performed to explore the relationships among time pressure, social sharing, cognitive reappraisal, and emotional exhaustion.ResultsTime pressure was positively associated with social sharing and emotional exhaustion. Social sharing presented the dark side, a negative effect that was always kept concealed, in terms of the impact on emotional exhaustion. Cognitive reappraisal negatively moderated the relationship between time pressure and social sharing, and it further indirectly influenced the relationship between time pressure and emotional exhaustion through social sharing.ConclusionsOur findings shed light on how time pressure influences the emotional exhaustion of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 period. Although social sharing is commonly regarded as a positive behavior, we identified a dark side in terms of its impact. We also identified that improving cognitive reappraisal may present a positive strategy toward alleviating emotional exhaustion.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has received worldwide attention
Our findings shed light on how time pressure influences the emotional exhaustion of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 period
Social sharing is commonly regarded as a positive behavior, we identified a dark side in terms of its impact
Summary
The increased workload has resulted in greater pressure and emotional issues for healthcare workers [1, 2]. Little theoretical or empirical work has been devoted to understanding the associations between this pressure and the emotional experiences of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 period. Healthcare workers are vulnerable to emotional exhaustion. In Britain, between 31 and 54.3% of doctors reported experiencing high emotional exhaustion before the COVID-19 pandemic [3], and as such, exhaustion is likely to be even higher at the current time. Emotional exhaustion among healthcare workers is associated with a variety of occupational stresses that are likely to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic [6, 7]. With the increasing spread of COVID-19, healthcare workers, especially front-line medical staff, have become more vulnerable to emotional exhaustion
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