Perceived COVID-19 threat and job satisfaction among healthcare workers: the indirect role of job stress and the moderating role of coping strategies

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic introduced unprecedented demands on healthcare systems globally. This study aimed to investigate the associations between perceived coronavirus disease 2019 threat, job stress, job satisfaction, and stress-coping strategies among healthcare workers within an integrated relational framework. METHODS: Utilizing a cross-sectional relational screening design, data were collected online via convenience sampling from 448 healthcare professionals (including physicians, nurses, midwives, and technicians) working in healthcare institutions in Turkey. Data collection tools included personal information forms, the Perceived Coronavirus Disease 2019 Threat Scale, the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Survey, the Job Stress Scale, and the Coping with Stress Scale. Statistical analyses were performed using Jamovi software. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and path analysis based on ordinary least squares regression were applied. Moderation analyses were conducted to examine whether specific coping strategies interacted with job stress and job satisfaction. RESULTS: Path analysis indicated that job stress served as a significant potential indirect pathway between perceived threat and job satisfaction. Moderation analysis revealed significant interaction terms, demonstrating that positive evaluation and seeking professional support functioned as critical moderators in the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction. Specifically, the total association model remained significant for workers with low and medium levels of positive evaluation, where job stress demonstrated a potential partial indirect role. For seeking professional support, the total association model was significant across low, medium, and high levels. Job stress exhibited a potential partial indirect role for individuals with low and medium levels of seeking professional support, whereas a potential full indirect role was observed for those with high levels. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore that job stress is an important conceptual link connecting pandemic-related threat perceptions to diminished job satisfaction. Furthermore, specific coping mechanisms, particularly positive evaluation and professional support-seeking behaviors, modify how job stress correlates with occupational satisfaction. Interventions aimed at enhancing targeted coping strategies and mitigating structural workplace stress are recommended to preserve the psychological well-being and job satisfaction of healthcare personnel during public health crises.