Self-care, burnout, emotion regulation, and self-efficacy beliefs among psychologists

Abstract Psychologists face occupational risks that lead to personal and professional strain, affecting their self-care, vulnerability to burnout, emotion regulation, and self-efficacy beliefs. This study aimed to build on the existing quantitative research on these variables and provide scientific evidence regarding them among Portuguese psychologists. Specifically, it aimed to explore the relationships between self-care, burnout, emotion regulation, and self-efficacy beliefs, focusing on the mediating role of self-care in the relationship between emotion regulation and burnout. To this end, 520 participants (M = 39.96; SD = 9.20) completed four instruments: the Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists (SCAP), Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale (OSS). Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among the variables. Consequently, self-care was found to be negatively associated with burnout and positively associated with emotion regulation and self-efficacy beliefs. In addition, self-efficacy beliefs showed a positive association with emotion regulation and a negative association with burnout. Emotion regulation was negatively associated with burnout. Self-care was found to mediate the relationship between emotion regulation and burnout. This research provides grounds for implementing effective measures to promote the health and well-being of psychologists and underscores the importance of a comprehensive and systematic approach to caring for caregivers.