The relationship between personal-job fit and physical and mental health among medical staff during the two years after COVID-19 pandemic: Emotional labor and burnout as mediators

BACKGROUND: In the context of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, research on personal-job fit and physical and mental health was inadequate. We aimed to explore the relationship between personal-job fit and physical and mental health among medical staff during the two years after COVID-19 pandemic and verify emotional labor and burnout as mediators. METHODS: A total of 2868 medical staff from two general hospitals, were included from July 3 to July 27, 2022, in Wuhan, China. SPSS was used for statistical description, and AMOS was used for structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the mediating effect of emotional labor and burnout. RESULTS: In the SEM, the total effect of personal-job fit on physical and mental health was significant (β = 0.855, 95 % CI: 0.748–0.972). The mediating effect of surface acting between personal-job fit and physical and mental health was significant (β = 0.078, 95 % CI: 0.053–0.110). The mediating effect of burnout was significant (β = 0.220, 95 % CI: 0.175–0.274), but the mediating effect of deep acting was not significant (β = 0.006, 95 % CI: −0.013–0.025). The chain mediating effect of surface acting or deep acting and burnout between personal-job fit and physical and mental health was significant (β = 0.082, 95 % CI: 0.059–0.108; β = 0.049, 95 % CI: 0.038–0.063). LIMITATIONS: Owing to the cross-sectional study, causal relationship, and direction of effects among variables could not be determined. CONCLUSIONS: Personal-job fit has significant direct and indirect effects on physical and mental health. Monitoring and intervening in personal-job fit, emotional labor, and burnout might be effective ways to promoting physical and mental health among medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.