From Working Values Conflict to Burnout: The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Professionals

In the healthcare sector, burnout has become a critical concern due to the combination of high job demands and sustained emotional strain. The present study aims to analyze whether emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between psychosocial risk factors, namely working values conflict and burnout among healthcare professionals. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 205 healthcare professionals. Measurement instruments included the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23) to assess burnout dimensions; the Health and Work Survey (ERPS_INSAT) to evaluate psychosocial risk factors; and the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-P) to assess emotional intelligence. A moderation analysis using the PROCESS macro (model 1) was conducted to examine whether emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between psychosocial risk, working values factor, and burnout among healthcare professionals. The results show that the psychosocial risk-work values dimension was a significant positive predictor of burnout (total scale: B = 0.27, p < 0.001; Exhaustion: B = 0.33, p < 0.001; Mental distance: B = 0.32, p < 0.001; cognitive Impairment: B = 0.14, p < 0.001; emotional Impairment: B = 0.30, p < 0.001), indicating that higher perceived risk was associated with higher burnout symptoms. Emotional intelligence did not significantly predict burnout on its own (total scale: B = 0.07, p > 0.05; Exhaustion: B = 0.09, p > 0.05; Mental Distance: B = 0.11, p > 0.05; Cognitive Impairment: B = 0.11, p > 0.05; Emotional Impairment: B = -0.04, p > 0.05). The interaction term (psychosocial risk: work values × emotional intelligence) was not significant, suggesting that emotional intelligence does not moderate the relationship between working values and burnout. These findings highlight the central role of psychosocial risk factors in the development of burnout among healthcare professionals, but emotional intelligence does not seem to have a protective effect against burnout. Such findings point to the need for organizational interventions that reduce workplace risks and demand a more in-depth analysis of organizational context determinants, with particular attention to the impact of working values conflict as a critical driver of burnout.