The Mediating Role of Social Support in the Relationship Between Psychological Capital and Depression Among Chinese Emergency Physicians

Abstract

Purpose: Depression is common in medical practitioners across all stages of their careers, but few studies have explored positive factors for combatting depression in emergency physicians. This study aims to explore the association between psychological capital and depression among Chinese emergency physicians, along with the mediating role of social support in this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at 33 grade III and class A general hospitals in 13 cities of Jiangsu Province, China. Emergency physicians participating in the study completed 568 questionnaires on psychological capital, social support, and depression. Regression analysis was applied to explore the relationship between psychological capital, social support, and depression, and to assess the mediating role of social support. Results: The rate of potentially depressed physicians was determined as 18.5% among our study sample. Depression was negatively correlated with psychological capital ( r = − 0.384, p < 0.01) and its four components of hope, self-efficacy, resiliency, and optimism, and negatively correlated with social support ( r = − 0.299, p < 0.01). Depression was negatively affected by psychological capital ( c = − 0.398, p < 0.001), or by both psychological capital ( c ′ = − 0.334, p < 0.001) and social support ( b = − 0.171, p < 0.001), and social support was positively affected by psychological capital ( a = 0.372, p < 0.001), leading to a mediation effect of − 0.064 and accounting for approximately 16.0% of the total effect of psychological capital on depression. Furthermore, social support exhibited a potent mediating role for emergency physicians with potential depressive disorder compared to those without depression. Conclusion: Psychological capital not only can directly affect depression, but can also alleviate it by increasing social support. Hospitals should pay attention to the mental health status of emergency physicians, and psychological capital training and emotional support can be implemented to improve mental health. Keywords: depressive symptoms, psychological capital, social support, influence mechanism, emergency physician

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