Moderated Mediation Effect of Mindfulness on the Relationship Between Muscular Skeletal Disease, Job Stress, and Turnover Among Korean Firefighters

• Main Authors: Jong-Hyun Lee, Jaeeun Lee, Kyung-Sun Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-06-01
• Series: Safety and Health at Work
• Subjects: Firefighter; Job stress; Mindfulness; Moderated mediation effect; Musculoskeletal disease
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791119302276

Background: This study investigated the effect of increased job stress, caused by musculoskeletal disease (MSD) among firefighters, on a firefighter's intention to leave the profession, henceforth referred to as “turnover intention,” and verified the moderating effect of mindfulness on such a relationship. Methods: A survey involving a total of 549 Korean male firefighters as participants was conducted herein, and the following results were obtained: the mediation effect of the MSD to turnover intention through job stress was confirmed, and the indirect effect of job stress was verified. Results: We verified the moderated mediation effect of mindfulness on the relation:MSD, job stress, and turnover intention. The conditional indirect effect for middle and high levels of mindfulness is significant. Conclusion: The result of this study is supported by proofs of the relationship between a firefighter's MSD, job stress, and turnover intention, and these case studies reveal the moderated mediation effect of dispositional mindfulness.