OCCUPATION AND HEALTH ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (22): 3117-3121.

• Treatise—Epidemiology and Preventive Health Care • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Impact of empathic fatigue on job engagement among military healthcare personnel and the mediating role of perceived social support

HU Lanlan1, CHEN Yan2, JIA Huan1, LI Xiaoping1, MA Lulu1, LIU Na3()   

  1. 1 Joint Logistics Support Force No.989 HospitalLuoyangHenan 471000, China
    2 Henan Provincial People's HospitalZhengzhouHenan 450003, China
    3 Air Force Medical UniversityXi'anShaanxi 710032, China
  • Received:2025-06-25 Revised:2025-11-23 Online:2026-11-15 Published:2026-09-20
  • Contact: LIU Na,E-mail:1183382528@qq.com

Abstract:

Objective To understand the current situation of empathic fatigue,perceived social support and job involvement of military medical personnel,explore the mediating effect of perceptive social support on empathy fatigue and job involvement,so as to provide basis for improving the ability of medical service management in military hospitals and developing emergency plans. Methods By using the convenient sampling method,383 frontline medical staff from 4 general hospitals of a certain Joint Logistics Support Center from April to June 2022 were selected as the survey subjects. The empathy fatigue scale,the perceived social support scale(PSSS),and the Maslach burnout inventory(MBI) were used for assessment,and the data were analyzed. Results The score of empathy fatigue of 383 frontline medical staff was (78.48±8.17)points,the score of perceived social support was (64.72±11.39)points,and the score of work burnout-work engagement was (56.07±17.09)points. Military medical staff with longer working years had lower scores of empathy fatigue in sudden public health events.There were statistically significant differences in the scores of perceived social support among military medical staff with different age,marital status,whether they were only children,educational level,and number of children(all P<0.05).Working years,whether having participated in sudden public health events,empathy fatigue,and perceived social support were independent influencing factors of work engagement(all P<0.05). The results of the mediation effect analysis showed that empathy fatigue could indirectly affect work engagement through the mediating effect of perceived social support(β=0.281,95%CI:0.010-0.052),with a mediation effect value of 0.112,accounting for 19.05% of the total effect value(0.588). Conclusion The medical staff of a certain Joint Logistics Support Center score high in empathy fatigue,perceived social support,and work engagement. Empathy fatigue can indirectly affect the work engagement of military medical staff through the mediating mechanism of perceived social support. Establishing a sound and comprehensive system for perceived social support can help military medical personnel reduce empathy fatigue and improve work quality and efficiency.

Key words: Military medical personnel, Empathy fatigue, Perceived social support, Work involvement, Influencing factors, Mediating effect

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