Perinatal stress events and burnout among midwives in Poland. The mediating role of self-efficacy

in a group of midwives. According to the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R model), perinatal stress events may be linked to burnout, and self-efficacy can play a mediating role in this connection.

Design: A quantitative longitudinal study.

Methods: The research involved 99 midwives working in the Polish public health service.

Results: Stepwise regression analysis showed a direct relationship between perinatal stress events and emotional exhaustion (β = 0.12; p = 0.02). The results of mediation analysis suggest that self-efficacy plays the role of mediator in the perinatal stress events – emotional exhaustion relationship (β = -0.12; p < 0.001), and plays the role of suppressive variable in the perinatal stress events – disengagement from work relationship, (β = -0.10; p = 0.008). Seniority acts as a moderator between perinatal stress events and exhaustion in the relationship mediated by self-efficacy (β = 0.07; p = 0.04).

Conclusion: The results confirm the assumptions of the JD-R model regarding the link between job demands, job resources, and occupational burnout. Perinatal stress events can be a predictor of exhaustion, especially when combined with low self-efficacy and limited seniority.