Linkage of calling and burnout among Chinese airline pilots: The role of psychological capital and organizational identification

Abstract

Objectives. The burnout of airline pilots has an extremely adverse impact on their physical and mental state, work efficiency, and the safe operation of airlines, and is thus an important issue in occupational safety and health. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the factors that may reduce burnout among airline pilots. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the present study investigates the relationships between calling, psychological capital, organizational identification and burnout in order to understand the mechanisms underlying pilot burnout. Method. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to measure calling, psychological capital, organizational identification and burnout among a sample consisting of 242 Chinese commercial airline pilots (M age = 31.60 years, SD age = 6.44). Correlation analysis, mediation analysis and moderated analysis were conducted. Results. The results showed that calling has a direct and negative effect on pilot burnout, and an indirect effect on burnout through influencing psychological capital. Moreover, organizational identification was found to positively moderate the negative relationship between calling and pilot burnout. Conclusion. This study contributes to deepening the theoretical research on burnout, and provides empirical evidence for effective intervention in the burnout of airline pilots, which is beneficial to reduce pilot human error and ensure flight safety. Future research directions are also discussed.