Effects of Mindfulness and Psychological Capital on Engagement: Analysis from Healthcare

Several recent publications have called for research which examines the impact of mindfulness beyond the usual secular (mostly clinical psychology) applications in Western contexts. There have also been calls for more work tying mindfulness to work engagement, including in non-Western contexts, particularly in emerging economies such as Thailand, a Southeast-Asia wellness hub. This empirical research addresses the gap and further examines the effects of workplace mindfulness and psychological capital on employee engagement based on the occupational conditions for physicians, nurses and other medical workers. The quantitative case study aims to understand how mindfulness works in this relatively high stress industry, in a culture where mindfulness is familiar to most people, and an organization which is known to encourage mindfulness among employees. The result from a structural equation modeling shows significant associations between mindfulness and psychological capital to employee engagement. Mindfulness has a strong direct impact on both psychological capital and employee engagement, while psychological capital directly impacts engagement and acts as a partial mediator that increases the impact of mindfulness. The analytical results show that mindfulness contributes substantially to healthcare employees’ work engagement. Workplace mindfulness also helps build psychological capital, which then reinforces the mindfulness impact on engagement in the occupational context. Notably, the analytical findings suggest that healthcare organizations and leaders should prioritize the incorporation of mindfulness interventions to fortify employee well-being and organizational effectiveness. Overall, this research can contribute to theoretical advancement and has practical implications.