Predicting well-being among military health care workers: The role of self-care and leadership

LAY SUMMARY Similar to civilian health care workers, military health care workers may experience burnout and a loss of compassion for their patients because of factors related to the profession. As a result, military health care workers may underperform in their jobs, resulting in lower-quality care, more clinical errors, and early departure from the profession. Results of this study suggest that military health care workers who have productive beliefs about self-care are more likely to practise self-care, which can protect them from experiencing negative side effects related to their work, such as burnout. Leaders who promote effective self-care practices can also help reduce such negative side effects. Therefore, interventions that target individual self-care attitudes and health-promoting leadership can be designed to support a productive self-care mindset and a professional climate that optimizes health care worker well-being in a military setting.