Original Article
Unravelling the Link Between Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) and Burnout: A Longitudinal Study of Healthcare Workers in Malaysia
Abstract
Background: Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) reflects the management's commitment to employees' psychosocial well-being through supportive practices. It plays a crucial role in shaping workplace outcomes, with strong links to burnout. This study examines the association of PSC with burnout among healthcare workers.
Methods: We performed a three-waves longitudinal observational study over one-year period from December 2014 to December 2015, at University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia. The data were collected at baseline (T1), 3-month (T2), and 9-month (T3) among 618 participants who enrolled throughout the study. Eligible participants were permanent staff employed for at least six months with no prior mental health morbidity. The main study variable (PSC) and primary outcome (Burnout) were measured using the Malay-versionPSC-12 scale and MBI-GS, respectively. Data were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA and multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for relevant covariates.
Results: The perceived PSC was high (mean score = 41.44, SD±8.27). Most participants (61.1%) were classified in the high PSC category, while repeated measures analysis indicated a statistically significant improvement in PSC scores from T1 to T3. Adjusted for co-variates, PSC was significantly associated with burnout at T1 (aOR 0.97; 95% CI 0.94, 0.99; p-value 0.002), T2 (aOR 0.95; 95% CI 0.92, 0.98; p-value <0.001) and T3 (aOR 0.95; 95% CI 0.92, 0.98; p-value <0.001). PSC at T1 predicted burnout at T2 but not at T3.
Conclusion: There is a strong direct association between PSC and burnout with short-term temporal association. Higher PSC was associated with lower burnout, supporting PSC as a potential modifiable organisational factor in healthcare settings. These findings have implications for strengthening healthcare worker well-being, workforce resilience, and psychosocial risk management in high-demand clinical environments.
