IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v21y2024i12p1684-d1546055.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Being Cynical Is Bad for Your Wellbeing: A Structural Equation Model of the Relationship Between Cynicism and Mental Health in First Responders in South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Anita Padmanabhanunni

    (Department of Psychology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa)

  • Tyrone B. Pretorius

    (Department of Psychology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa)

Abstract

Cynicism has been associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes. This study investigated the role of cynicism in relation to indices of mental health among South African first responders. Research has highlighted that first responders are at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes owing to the nature of their work. The sample consisted of 429 participants who completed a brief demographic questionnaire and several research instruments: Turner Cynicism Scale, Chalder Fatigue Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship between cynicism and mental health indicators. It included a measurement model, which identified four latent variables—cynicism, fatigue, depression, and anxiety—and their respective indicators, and a structural model, which defined the relationships among these latent variables. Path analysis was used to explore the potential mediating role of fatigue in the relationship between cynicism and indices of mental health. The results demonstrated significant associations between cynicism and anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Fatigue also mediated the relationship between cynicism and indices of mental health. The results underscore the importance of recognizing and addressing cynicism as a critical factor in the mental health of individuals working in high-stress occupations.

Suggested Citation

  • Anita Padmanabhanunni & Tyrone B. Pretorius, 2024. "Being Cynical Is Bad for Your Wellbeing: A Structural Equation Model of the Relationship Between Cynicism and Mental Health in First Responders in South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(12), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:12:p:1684-:d:1546055
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/12/1684/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/12/1684/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Laura Petitta & Valerio Ghezzi, 2023. "Remote, Disconnected, or Detached? Examining the Effects of Psychological Disconnectedness and Cynicism on Employee Performance, Wellbeing, and Work–Family Interface," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(13), pages 1-24, July.
    2. Mustafa Ozgun Atalay & Pınar Aydemir & Taner Acuner, 2022. "The Influence of Emotional Exhaustion on Organizational Cynicism: The Sequential Mediating Effect of Organizational Identification and Trust in Organization," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    3. Reham Shalaby & Folajinmi Oluwasina & Ejemai Eboreime & Hany El Gindi & Belinda Agyapong & Marianne Hrabok & Sumeet Dhanoa & Esther Kim & Izu Nwachukwu & Adam Abba-Aji & Daniel Li & Vincent Israel Opo, 2023. "Burnout among Residents: Prevalence and Predictors of Depersonalization, Emotional Exhaustion and Professional Unfulfillment among Resident Doctors in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-27, February.
    4. Itumeleng Ntatamala & Shahieda Adams, 2022. "The Correlates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Ambulance Personnel and Barriers Faced in Accessing Care for Work-Related Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-14, February.
    5. Veronica Benincasa & Maria Passannante & Filippo Perrini & Luna Carpinelli & Giuseppina Moccia & Tiziana Marinaci & Mario Capunzo & Concetta Pironti & Armando Genovese & Giulia Savarese & Francesco De, 2022. "Burnout and Psychological Vulnerability in First Responders: Monitoring Depersonalization and Phobic Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-9, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Francisco Sampaio & Joana Coelho & Patrícia Gonçalves & Carlos Sequeira, 2022. "Protective and Vulnerability Factors of Municipal Workers’ Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-11, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:12:p:1684-:d:1546055. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.