Abstract
Previous studies have established that work motivation and depression are related; however, the underlying mechanisms between the two have not received much empirical attention. Based on the JD-R model, the present research aimed to expand extant research by proposing a moderated mediation model to examine whether burnout may play a mediator between work motivation and depression and investigate the moderating role of mental resilience in this mediation process. Overall, 5,025 Chinese manufacturing employees participated in the study. Participants completed questionnaires regarding work motivation, job burnout, mental resilience, and depression. Using Hayes’s PROCESS macro (Model 58) to test the moderated mediation model, this study found that work motivation was significantly and negatively associated with depression. The moderated mediation analyses further indicated that burnout acted as a full mediator in the relation between work motivation and depression and this mediated path was weaker for employees with higher levels of mental resilience. These findings demonstrated that burnout is the critical link between work motivation and depression, and high mental resilience helps prevent job burnout and depression.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available because some results are yet to be published. However, these are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Ahola, K., Honkonen, T., Isometsä, E., Kalimo, R., Nykyri, E., Aromaa, A., & Lönnqvist, J. (2005). The relationship between job-related burnout and depressive disorders—results from the Finnish Health 2000 Study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 88(1), 55–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2005.06.004
Bakker, A., Demerouti, E., & Verbeke, W. (2004). Using the job demand“ resources model to predict burnout and performance. Human Resource Management, 43, 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20004
Bakker, A., Emmerik, H. V., & Riet, P. V. (2008). How job demands, resources, and burnout predict objective performance: A constructive replication. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 21, 309–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800801958637
Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Demerouti, E., Janssen, P. P., Van Der Hulst, R., & Brouwer, J. (2000). Using equity theory to examine the difference between burnout and depression. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 13, 247–268. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800008549265
Bakker, A. B., Tims, M., & Derks, D. (2012). Proactive personality and job performance: The role of job crafting and work engagement. Human Relations, 65, 1359–1378. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726712453471
Bandura, A., Freeman, W. H., & Lightsey, R. (1999). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 13, 158–166.
Benjamin, G., Shapero, Amy, Farabaugh, Olga, & Joey. (2019). Understanding the effects of emotional reactivity on depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Moderating effects of childhood adversity and resilience. Journal of Affective Disorders, 245, 419–427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.033
Bianchi, R., Schonfeld, I. S., & Laurent, E. (2014). Is burnout a depressive disorder? A reexamination with special focus on atypical depression. International Journal of Stress Management, 21(4), 307. https://doi.org/10.1037/A0037906
Björklund, C., Jensen, I., & Lohela-Karlsson, M. (2013). Is a change in work motivation related to a change in mental well-being? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83, 571–580. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JVB.2013.09.002
Block, J. H., & Block, J. (1980). The role of ego-control and ego resiliency in the organization of behavior. In W. A. Collins (Ed.), Minnesota Symposium on Child Psychology (Vol. 13, pp. 39–101). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Block, J., & Kremen, A. (1996). IQ and ego-resiliency: conceptual and empirical connections and separateness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(2), 349–361. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.2.349
Boudrias, J. S., Desrumaux, P., Gaudreau, P., Nelson, K., Brunet, L., & Savoie, A. (2011). Modeling the Experience of Psychological Health at Work: The Role of Personal Resources, Social-Organizational Resources, and Job Demands. International Journal of Stress Management, 18(4), 372–395. https://doi.org/10.1037/A0025353
Boyd, C. M., Bakker, A. B., Pignata, S., Winefield, A. H., Gillespie, N. M., & Stough, C. (2011). A longitudinal test of the job demands-resources model among Australian university academics. Applied Psychology, 60, 112–140.
Chesmal, S., & Robert, S. (2013). Forced migration and mental health: prolonged internal displacement, return migration and resilience. International Health, 1, 19–23. https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth%2Fihs014
Cooke, G., Doust, J. A., & Steele, M. C. (2013). A survey of resilience, burnout, and tolerance of uncertainty in Australian general practice registrars. BMC Medical Education, 13, 2–2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-13-2
Dai, J.-m., Yu, H.-z., Wu, J.-h., Wu, C., & Fu, H. (2010). [Analysis on the association between job stress factors and depression symptoms]. Wei sheng yan jiu = Journal of hygiene research, 39 3, 342–346.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
Edward, K. (2005). The phenomenon of resilience in crisis care mental health clinicians. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 14(2), 142–148. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1440-0979.2005.00371.X
Fuller, C. M., Simmering, M. J., Atinc, G., Atinc, Y., & Babin, B. J. (2016). Common methods variance detection in business research. Journal of Business Research, 69(8), 3192–3198. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2015.12.008
Gagné, M., Forest, J., Gilbert, M.-H., Aubé, C., Morin, E., & Malorni, A. (2010). The Motivation at Work Scale: Validation evidence in two languages. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(4), 628–646. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164409355698
Grover, S. L., Teo, S. T. T., Pick, D., & Roche, M. (2017). Mindfulness as a personal resource to reduce work stress in the job demand“ resources model. Stress and Health, 33(42V), 436. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2726
Grover, S. L., Teo, S. T. T., Pick, D., Roche, M., & Newton, C. J. (2018). Psychological capital as a personal resource in the JD-R model. Personnel Review, 47, 968–984. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2016-0213
Hakanen, J. J., Schaufeli, W. B., & Ahola, K. (2008). The Job Demands-Resources model: A three-year cross-lagged study of burnout, depression, commitment, and work engagement. Work & Stress, 22, 224–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802379432
Han, L., Zhao, S., Pan, X.-Y., & Liao, C. (2018). The impact of students with left-behind experiences on childhood: The relationship between negative life events and depression among college students in China. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 64, 56–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764017739332
Harker, R., Pidgeon, A. M., Klaassen, F., & King, S. (2016). Exploring resilience and mindfulness as preventative factors for psychological distress burnout and secondary traumatic stress among human service professionals. Work, 54(3), 631–637. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-162311
Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F., & Hayes, T. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: a meta-analysis. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 268–279. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.2.268
Hayes, A. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis. Journal of Educational Measurement, 51(3), 335–337.
Heinisch, D. A., & Jex, S. M. (1997). Negative affectivity and gender as moderators of the relationship between work-related stressors and depressed mood at work. Work & Stress, 11(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678379708256821
Hobfoll, S. E., Johnson, R. J., Ennis, N. E., & Jackson, A. P. (2003). Resource loss, resource gain, and emotional outcomes among inner city women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(3), 632–643. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.3.632
Hobfoll, S. E., & Shirom, A. (2001). Conservation of resources theory: Applications to stress and management in the workplace. Public Policy and Administration, 87, 57–80.
Huang, J.-T., Wang, Y., & You, X. (2016). The Job Demands-Resources Model and Job Burnout: The Mediating Role of Personal Resources. Current Psychology, 35, 562–569. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12144-015-9321-2
Jackson, D., Firtko, A., & Edenborough, M. A. (2007). Personal resilience as a strategy for surviving and thriving in the face of workplace adversity: a literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1365-2648.2007.04412.X
Jian, Z., Yahui, S., & Xiao, L. (2016). Undermining effect exists or not: Relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in workplace. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 48(1), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2016.00073
Karatepe, O. M., & Tizabi, L. Z. (2011). Wor‹ related depression in the hotel industry: a study in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 23, 608–623. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111111143368
Kimhi, S., Parmak, M., Boon, H., Sapountzaki, K., Groh, A., & Ryan, S. (2018). Community and National Resilience and Quality of Life : A Preliminary Cross-Cultural Study. American International Journal of Social Science, 7, 1–11.
Kiser, Laurel J., Joan, Smith, Gillham, Jane E., & Penina, M. (2015). The Maryland Resilience Breakthrough Series Collaborative: A Quality Improvement Initiative for Children’s Mental Health Services Providers. Psychiatric Services: a journal of the American Psychiatric Association., 66(8), 778–80.
Kotera, Y., Adhikari, P., & Van Gordon, W. (2018). Motivation Types and Mental Health of UK Hospitality Workers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 16, 751–763.
Lazarus, R. (1993). From psychological stress to the emotions: a history of changing outlooks. Annual Review of Psychology, 44, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV.PS.44.020193.000245
Lee, K. H., Chae, C. H., Kim, Y. O., Son, J. S., Kim, J.-H., Kim, C. W., … Jung, Y. S. (2015). Anxiety symptoms and occupational stress among young Korean female manufacturing workers. Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 27(1), 24.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-015-0075-y
Leiter, M. P., & Durup, J. (1994). The discriminant validity of burnout and depression: a confirmatory factor analytic study. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 7(4), 357–373. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615809408249357
Li, C. P., & Shi, K. (2003). The influence of distributive justice and procedural justi ce on job burnout. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 35(5), 677–684.
Lindell, M. K., & Whitney, D. J. (2001). Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.114
Maddi, Salvatore, R. (2004). Hardiness: An Operationalization of Existential Courage. J Humanistic Psychol, 44(3), 279-298https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167804266101
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annu Rev Psychol, 52(1), 397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
Masten, A. (2001). Ordinary magic. Resilience processes in development. The American Psychologist, 56 3, 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.227
Melamed, S., Shirom, A., Toker, S., Berliner, S., & Shapira, I. (2006). Burnout and risk of cardiovascular disease: evidence, possible causal paths, and promising research directions. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 327–353.
Muller, D., Judd, C. M., & Yzerbyt, V. (2005). When moderation is mediated and mediation is moderated. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89(6), 852–863. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.89.6.852
Ohlander, J., Keskin, M.-C., Stork, J., & Radon, K. (2014). 0170 Shift work and hypertension: prevalence and analysis of disease pathways in German car manufacturing workers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 71(Suppl 1), A81–A81. https://doi.org/10.1136/OEMED-2014-102362.253
Parkes, K. R. (1990). Coping, negative affectivity, and the work environment: Additive and interactive predictors of mental health. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75(4), 399. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.75.4.399
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Ríos-Risquez, M. I., García-Izquierdo, M., Sabuco-Tebar, E. d. l. A., Carrillo-Garcia, C., & Martinez-Roche, M. E. (2016). An exploratory study of the relationship between resilience, academic burnout and psychological health in nursing students. Contemporary Nurse, 52(4), 430–439.https://doi.org/10.1080/10376178.2016.1213648
Robbins, S. P. (1993). Organizational Behavior: Concepts, Controversies, and Applications, 6/E: Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises, Incorporated.
Salanova, M., Agut, S., & Peiró, J. (2005). Linking organizational resources and work engagement to employee performance and customer loyalty: the mediation of service climate. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(6), 1217–1227. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.6.1217
Salmela-Aro, K., & Nurmi, J. (2004). Employees’ motivational orientation and well being at work: A person oriented approach. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 17, 471–489. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810410554498
Schaufeli, W., & Bakker, A. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a mult‰ sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 293–315.
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Rhenen, W. V. (2009). How changes in job demands and resources predict burnout, work engagement, and sickness absenteeism. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30, 893–917. https://doi.org/10.1002/JOB.595
Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1996). MBI-General Survey. Consulting Psychologists Press.
Schaufeli, W. B., & Taris, T. W. (2014). A Critical Review of the Job Demands-Resources Model: Implications for Improving Work and Health. Springer Netherlands.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5640-3_4
Schumacher, J., Leppert, K., Gunzelmann, T., Strau, B., & Brhler, E. (2005). The Resilience Scale - A questionnaire to assess resilience as a personality characteristic. Zeitschrift für klinische Psychologie, Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie / im Auftrag der Görres-Gesellschaft, 53(1), 16–39.
Shirom, A. (2003). Job-related burnout. In J. C. Quick & L. E. Tetrick (Eds.), Handbook of Occupational Health Psychology (pp. 245–64). American Psychological Association.
Sjöberg, L. (2007). Risk and willingness to work. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 7, 224. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJRAM.2007.011733
Størseth, F. (2004). Maintaining work motivation during organisational change. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 4, 267–287. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJHRDM.2004.004770
Størseth, F. (2006). Changes at work and employee reactions: organizational elements, job insecurity, and short-term stress as predictors for employee health and safety. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 47(6), 541–550. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1467-9450.2006.00548.X
Taris, T., & Schreurs, P. J. (2009). Well-being and organizational performance: An organizational-level test of the happy-productive worker hypothesis. Work & Stress, 23, 120–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370903072555
Vîrh, D., Baciu, E.-L., La, & Lup A. D. (2020). Psychological Capital Protects Social Workers from Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress. Sustainability, 12, 2246https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062246
Van den Broeck, A., van Ruysseveldt, J., Smulders, P. G. W., & De Witte, H. (2011). Does an intrinsic work value orientation strengthen the impact of job resources? A perspective from the Job Demand“ Resources Model. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20, 581–609. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594321003669053
Wagnild, G. M., & Young, H. M. (1993). Development and psychometric testing of the Resilience Scale. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 1(2), 165–178.
Waugh, C. E., & Koster, E. (2015). A resilience framework for promoting stable remission from depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 41, 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.05.004
Wisetborisut, A., Angkurawaranon, C., Jiraporncharoen, W., Uaphanthasath, R., & Wiwatanadate, P. (2014). Shift work and burnout among health care workers. Occupational Medicine, 64(4), 279–286. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed%2Fkqu009
World Health Organization. (2021). Depression. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-topics/depression#tab=tab_1. Accessed 24 Sep. 2021.
Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2007). The Role of Personal Resources in the Job Demands-Resources Model. International Journal of Stress Management, 14, 121–141. https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.14.2.121
Yu, X., Chen, J., Zhao, S., & Yu, X. (2017). Impact of rumination and regret on depression among new employees in China. Social Behavior and Personality, 45, 1499–1510. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6354
Zhang, Y., & Zhou, H. (2013). Analysis of the result of self-evaluation of the female self-rating anxiety and self-rating depression in a Shanghai rural community. Shanghai Medical & Pharmaceutical Journal.
Zhihua, G., Shaoqing, Y., & Margraf, J. (2013). Reliability and Validity Test for Wagnild and Young's Resilience Scale (RS-11) in Chinese. China Journal of Health Psychology.
Zhou, H., & Long, L. (2004). Statistical remedies for common method biases. Advances in Psychological Science, 12(06), 942-942-950.
Zung, W. W. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12(1), 63–70.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China (SWU2009101) and Chongqing Social Science Planning Project (2020TBWT-ZD07). We would like to thank Dr. Cody Ding for the English language editing of the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Xueping Meng: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing- Original draft preparation.
Dong Yang: Conceptualization, Writing- Reviewing and Editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Meng, X., Yang, D. Work motivation associated with depression: The role of job burnout and mental resilience. Curr Psychol 42, 19584–19595 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02910-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02910-9