Coronavirus pandemic derived demands and inclusive leadership on junior doctors' well-being.

Abstract

Background: International studies have revealed that numerous challenges (e.g. job demands) and opportunities (e.g. job resources as protective factors) affect the well-being of healthcare workers.

Aims: Building on the job demands-resources theory, we explored how job-related demands and the role of inclusive leadership as a job resource influenced the well-being of junior doctors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional web survey was conducted in July 2022 for 82 junior doctors who had experienced the 3-year COVID-19 pandemic. The survey captured their perceived physical, psychological and COVID-19-related job demands and the inclusive leadership behaviours exhibited by their clinical unit supervisors as job resources. Data were also collected on junior doctors' experiences of burnout, compassion satisfaction and occupational commitment as variables of job outcomes. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was applied to explore the relationships between the variables.

Results: Physical and COVID-19-related job demands were associated with increased burnout among junior doctors. Inclusive leadership as a job resource was associated with junior doctors' reduced burnout and increased compassion satisfaction and buffered the negative effects of psychological demands on their compassion satisfaction. Only COVID-19-related job demands were associated with junior doctors' occupational commitment.

Conclusions: Our study highlights the critical effects of COVID-19-related job demands on junior doctors' burnout and occupational commitment. Inclusive leadership behaviours exhibited by clinical unit supervisors are a valuable job resource, which can be incorporated as one of the competencies training for medical staff.