The Effect of Emotional Coworker Support on Work Engagement Among Pediatric Health Care Providers: The Mediator Role of Emotional Regulation.

Background: Previous findings demonstrated that healthcare workers with a high level of social support are likely to engage in their work. Healthcare workers are not only engaged in the physical problems of their patients but also in their emotional difficulties. Pediatric professionals must express and regulate their own emotions during their interactions with young patients and their families.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of coworkers' emotional support on healthcare workers' work engagement in pediatric healthcare settings and the emotional regulation mechanisms by which emotional coworker support leads to work engagement.

Method: A cross-sectional study was distributed in a Belgian pediatric hospital between October 2021 and December 2021. The sample consisted of 274 healthcare workers who were in direct contact with patients. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of measures of coworker emotional support, work engagement, emotional suppression, and cognitive reevaluation.

Results: Emotional suppression partially mediated the effects of perceived emotional coworker support on work engagement. Coworkers' emotional support fosters work engagement by reducing the negative effects of emotional suppression. Moreover, cognitive evaluation was positively associated with work engagement.

Conclusions: These results provide insight into the influence of perceived emotional coworkers, emotional suppression, and cognitive reevaluation on work engagement.