Psychosocial safety climate and emotional exhaustion among police officers in guangxi, China: The mediating role of surface acting

BackgroundEmotional exhaustion is a central component of burnout and is highly prevalent among police officers due to the emotionally demanding nature of policing work. Psychosocial safety climate (PSC), as an organizational resource, may influence emotional exhaustion directly and through emotional regulation strategies such as surface acting.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the relationship between psychosocial safety climate, surface acting, and emotional exhaustion among police officers, and to investigate whether surface acting mediates the association between PSC and emotional exhaustion.MethodsPolice officers from police stations in Guangxi, China, completed anonymous online questionnaires. The study employed the Psychosocial Safety Climate Scale (PSC-12), the Emotional Labor Scale, and the Emotional Exhaustion Scale. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 and regression-based mediation analysis.ResultsA more positive psychosocial safety climate was significantly associated with lower emotional exhaustion and lower levels of surface acting. Surface acting was positively associated with emotional exhaustion. Mediation analysis indicated that surface acting partially mediated the relationship between psychosocial safety climate and emotional exhaustion.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that psychosocial safety climate may be associated with emotional exhaustion both directly and indirectly through surface acting. Strengthening organizational support and fostering psychologically safe work environments may help reduce emotional strain among police officers.