Affective States and Emotional Exhaustion: Mediating Role of Depersonalisation and Personal Accomplishment

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyse the relationship of positive and negative affect with emotional exhaustion through the mediating effect of depersonalisation and personal accomplishment (undertaken as coping resources). It was posited that both depersonalisation and personal accomplishment will have an indirect effect on emotional exhaustion as they differ so profoundly. A sample of 291 from the manufacturing and IT sector participated in the study. To analyse the direct and indirect effects, IBM SPSS 25 and SmartPLS 2.0 were used. The findings reflect that affective states stimulate depersonalisation and personal accomplishment distinctly. Depersonalisation was a significant mediator linking affective states and emotional exhaustion. The binges of positive affect and emotion regulation are elaborated through the Broad and Build theory. Personal accomplishment marginally mediated emotional exhaustion. The results also provide support for questionable sequential measurement of burnout and affective bipolarity. The study empirically tested the developmental pathways between affective states and emotional exhaustion in the human services sector, and highlighted a more nuanced understanding of emotional regulation and dealing with burnout. Practical implications, as well as theoretical concerns, were highlighted.