Publications

Abstract Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are essential for maintaining our healthcare system but are at risk for developing mental health issues due to chronic occupational stress. This can lead to a …stress. This can lead to a vicious cycle with extended sick leave, increased workloads for colleagues, and strain on the healthcare system. Therefore, preventive interventions aiming at enhancing resilience - the maintenance of mental health despite stress - are essential. Yet, identifying the most impactful resilience factors has been challenging. To explore the relationships between resilience factors, stress, mental health, and work-related outcomes, we conducted regularized partial correlation network analyses focusing on self-care and self-compassion. Cross-sectional data from HCPs in Germany were collected from June-July 2023. Analyses of 212 HCPs (age 41.63 [21–68] years; 81.60% women) revealed self-compassion as the most important factor across all networks, while the importance of self-care showed through individual connections to crucial factors like mental health problems and work-life balance. Work engagement, contrary to burnout, was closely interrelated with resilience factors. In conclusion, despite accounting for established evidence-based resilience factors, self-compassion and self-care seem crucial in the context of stress and mental health in HCPs. More research is needed to validate the causal importance of self-care and self-compassion.