Are Organizational Resources Always Protective? Journalists’ Job Burnout and Life Satisfaction under Collectivistic Contexts

Abstract

Reducing job burnout is decisive for improving journalists’ well-being. Building on the job demands-resources model (JD-R) and self-determination theory, we combined a survey (N = 1,000) of Chinese journalists with in-depth interviews (N = 16) to examine how different job resources are associated with burnout in collectivistic contexts. Results partially supported the JD-R model: perceived organizational support was negatively associated with burnout, whereas job autonomy was unexpectedly positively associated with burnout. Further, interviews revealed dual interpretations of job resources in collectivistic contexts: organizational support was both care and an implicit obligation to reciprocate; autonomy was interpreted as delegated responsibility and risk.

Keywords

perceived organizational support job autonomy collectivism burnout self-determination theory

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