The buffering effects of mindfulness and organizational support on the mental health of hospital pharmacists in high-workload environments

Abstract

The present research aims to explore the impact of workload on the mental well-being of hospital pharmacists, focusing on the mediating roles of mindfulness and perceived organizational support (POS). Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 411 hospital pharmacists in Punjab, Pakistan, during July–September 2023 via stratified sampling. Mental well-being was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‑9), workload was measured with the NASA Task Load Index (NASA‑TLX), mindfulness was evaluated using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire—Short Form (FFMQ‑SF), and POS was measured using a modified version of the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) ensured the reliability of constructs, and mediation analysis was performed via the PROCESS macro in SPSS (v28). Results revealed a significant negative direct effect of workload on mental well-being (β = –0.472, p < 0.001). Further, three significant indirect pathways were found: via mindfulness (β = –0.208, p < 0.001), via POS (β = –0.135, p < 0.001), and via a chain of both mindfulness and POS (β = –0.073, p < 0.001). These mediators collectively account for a substantial portion of the overall impact. The findings underscore the importance of strategies to manage workload while enhancing mindfulness and organizational support to promote hospital pharmacists’ mental well-being.