Examining the Positive Association Between Self-Efficacy and Emotional Exhaustion

Burnout is a critical problem among refugee resettlement staff and volunteers. Their job entails emotionally demanding tasks, high caseloads, and exposure to traumatic client histories, resulting in emotional exhaustion, one of the most prominent dimensions of burnout. The current study examines how three psychological resources – hope, optimism, and resilience – mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion. Using data from an earlier dissertation, the study included 112 participants who worked or volunteered in refugee resettlement organizations within the United States. Emotional exhaustion was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), while psychological capital facets were measured with the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24). Moderation analysis was conducted using Hayes' PROCESS macro version 4.2 (Model 2) in SPSS. Contrary to common assumptions, higher self-efficacy was associated with higher emotional exhaustion. This correlation was moderated strongly by hope, however. Individuals with high hope levels were less emotionally exhausted even when their self-efficacy was high. Optimism and resilience were examined but found to have weaker or non-significant moderating effects than hope. These results contradict the assumption that self-efficacy is always beneficial and demonstrate that, in cases of high-stress work, such as refugee support work, self-efficacy can actually become a cause for burnout if individuals lack sufficient psychological resources to offset it. The study highlights the importance of building hope through purposeful support and interventions as a potential way to reduce burnout among humanitarian practitioners.