Volume 29, Issue 2 (Spring 2023)
Intern Med Today 2023, 29(2): 131-138 |
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Armanmehr V, Majdi A A, Paykani T, Esmaeilzadeh M H, Khajavi A. Organizational Climate and Psychological Resilience among Staff of an
Educational Hospital in Iran. Intern Med Today 2023; 29 (2) :131-138
URL: http://imtj.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-4031-en.html
URL: http://imtj.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-4031-en.html
Vajihe Armanmehr1 
, Ali Akbar Majdi2 , Toktam Paykani1 , Mohammad Hossein Esmaeilzadeh *3 , Abdoljavad Khajavi4
, Ali Akbar Majdi2 , Toktam Paykani1 , Mohammad Hossein Esmaeilzadeh *3 , Abdoljavad Khajavi4
1- Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
2- Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
3- Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Management and Medical Information, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ,esmaeilzadeh.ems@gmail.com
4- Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
2- Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
3- Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Management and Medical Information, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ,
4- Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
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Hospitals and health centers are among the institutions that play a pivotal role in reducing mortality in accidents and disasters by providing optimal and timely healthcare services [1]. The COVID-19 pandemic put an unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, and created serious problems for hospitals worldwide [2] by overcrowding intensive care unit beds [3], putting an excessive work-load on medical staff to treat COVID-19 patients [4] and causing high levels of stress to hospital staff during this time [5]. The COVID-19 pandemic created an atmosphere of uncertainty among individuals and placed a significant burden on their internal resources to meet the challenges posed by this crisis [6].
Psychological resilience, which refers to the ability to cope effectively or successfully with adverse conditions [7], is a main goal pursued by the UN Guide (2030) to achieve sustainable development [8]. Additionally, the enhancement of psychological resilience serves as a major stress inhibitor. Resilience plays an important role in helping people cope with crises and unexpected conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and allows employees to focus on their job tasks and duties [9]. If medical staff lack adequate resilience, it means that not only do they struggle to recover after experiencing stress, but they may also constantly develop negative emotions and, even in severe cases, develop mental disorders [10]. COVID-19 reminded us of the need to improve resilience, with some studies evaluating the resilience of people providing care services in hospitals [11]. Some others focused on psychological interventions to enhance their resilience [12, 13]. Certain programs specifically aim to increase healthcare providers’ psychological resilience and significantly reduce the adverse effects on mental health [14].
Another important concept that goes beyond the psychological level and addresses the characteristics of the organization - here specifically hospitals - is the organizational climate. All processes and employee behaviors are formed by the features of organizational climate [15]. Organizational climate is defined as the organizational members’ common understanding of the events, policies and practices they experience and the behaviors they show that are rewarded, supported, and expected [16]. The perception of a supportive and constructive atmosphere within an organization leads the work staff to experience a higher level of productivity and also promotes their loyalty and stability [17]. Studies have shown that in hospitals where staff perceptions of organizational climate are more positive, information is shared more efficiently [18]. In a previous study, a significant negative correlation was found between job satisfaction and organizational climate, and job stress. Specifically, nurses working in COVID-19 wards reported low job satisfaction, high job stress, and a moderate perception of their organizational climate [19]. Understanding the holistic nature of organizational climate requires further research on working conditions, employees’ lives, and their management skills in hospital settings [20]. Healthcare workers, who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, are not immune to the psychological consequences of the pandemic [21] .
This study examines the relationship between organizational climate and the psychological resilience of staff at Allameh Behlool Hospital, a general hospital in Gonabad and one of the largest educational and medical centers in southern Khorasan Razavi province. Our findings aim to provide insights into the organizational factors that influence employee mental well-being, particularly in the context of the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Table 1. Characteristics of study participants and their association with resilience (n=300)
Table 3. Correlation between the dimensions of organizational climate and resilience
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Hospitals and health centers are among the institutions that play a pivotal role in reducing mortality in accidents and disasters by providing optimal and timely healthcare services [1]. The COVID-19 pandemic put an unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, and created serious problems for hospitals worldwide [2] by overcrowding intensive care unit beds [3], putting an excessive work-load on medical staff to treat COVID-19 patients [4] and causing high levels of stress to hospital staff during this time [5]. The COVID-19 pandemic created an atmosphere of uncertainty among individuals and placed a significant burden on their internal resources to meet the challenges posed by this crisis [6].
Psychological resilience, which refers to the ability to cope effectively or successfully with adverse conditions [7], is a main goal pursued by the UN Guide (2030) to achieve sustainable development [8]. Additionally, the enhancement of psychological resilience serves as a major stress inhibitor. Resilience plays an important role in helping people cope with crises and unexpected conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and allows employees to focus on their job tasks and duties [9]. If medical staff lack adequate resilience, it means that not only do they struggle to recover after experiencing stress, but they may also constantly develop negative emotions and, even in severe cases, develop mental disorders [10]. COVID-19 reminded us of the need to improve resilience, with some studies evaluating the resilience of people providing care services in hospitals [11]. Some others focused on psychological interventions to enhance their resilience [12, 13]. Certain programs specifically aim to increase healthcare providers’ psychological resilience and significantly reduce the adverse effects on mental health [14].
Another important concept that goes beyond the psychological level and addresses the characteristics of the organization - here specifically hospitals - is the organizational climate. All processes and employee behaviors are formed by the features of organizational climate [15]. Organizational climate is defined as the organizational members’ common understanding of the events, policies and practices they experience and the behaviors they show that are rewarded, supported, and expected [16]. The perception of a supportive and constructive atmosphere within an organization leads the work staff to experience a higher level of productivity and also promotes their loyalty and stability [17]. Studies have shown that in hospitals where staff perceptions of organizational climate are more positive, information is shared more efficiently [18]. In a previous study, a significant negative correlation was found between job satisfaction and organizational climate, and job stress. Specifically, nurses working in COVID-19 wards reported low job satisfaction, high job stress, and a moderate perception of their organizational climate [19]. Understanding the holistic nature of organizational climate requires further research on working conditions, employees’ lives, and their management skills in hospital settings [20]. Healthcare workers, who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, are not immune to the psychological consequences of the pandemic [21] .
This study examines the relationship between organizational climate and the psychological resilience of staff at Allameh Behlool Hospital, a general hospital in Gonabad and one of the largest educational and medical centers in southern Khorasan Razavi province. Our findings aim to provide insights into the organizational factors that influence employee mental well-being, particularly in the context of the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Materials and Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted in one of the educational, research-based and medical hospitals in Gonabad city in 2021. Data collection was done after making necessary arrangements, obtaining permission from the Ethics Committee of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences (IR.GMU.REC.1400.023), and obtaining consent from the participants. Participants were assured that the information is confidential and the study was conducted according to ethical research standards.
The sample size was determined to be 219 using the formula below and a previous study [22]; accounting for a 20% loss, a minimum of 264 participants is required.
Z α= 1.96, Z β= 0.84 (Power 80%), σ= 15.84, mean=63.10, E= 3. Refer to the references concerning this issue[23].
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Study area and population
The Allameh Behlool Gonabadi Hospital, located in Khorasan Razavi province, is a leading general hospital featuring 320 beds. The seven-story structure, spanning 80,000 sqm, includes 24,000 sqm allocated to the inner building. It encompasses emergency and air emergency wards, four surgical and three internal wards, and various special care departments, making it a comprehensive healthcare facility in the region.
Data collection and measurements
Data were collected through paper-based questionnaire comprised of several parts: A) Sociodemographic questionnaire. B) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RIS): The CD-RIS scale aimed to measure resilience by examining five factors: tenacity and competence, trusting in one’s instincts and tolerating negative affect, accepting of change and secure within relationships, control, and spirituality. This questionnaire comprises 25 items that are scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not true at all or zero to true nearly all the time or 4. The score range on CD-RIS scale is 0-100. The higher the overall score on this scale, the greater the respondent's resilience, and vice versa [24]. Bigdeli et al. reported the internal consistency of this scale using Cronbach's alpha and the estimated value was 0.9 [25]. Campbell-Silles et al. standardized the initial draft of the resilience scale by selecting 10 items out of 25 items on a sample of 511 participants. The construct validity of the new resilience scale was tested using a confirmatory factor analysis. For every 10 questions, the factor loading was between 44 to 93%, which indicates a desired and acceptable construct validity of the scale [26].
C) Organizational Climate scale: This scale developed by Lyle Sussman and Sam Deep contains 20 questions, which aims to explore the five dimensions of organizational climate (clarity of goals, the clarity of role, satisfaction of rewards, effectiveness of communications, and agreement on procedures). The questions are to be rated on a 5-point Likert scale (fully disagree=0, disagree=1, no idea= 2, agree=3, entirely agree=4). Each dimension can receive a score between 0 and 16. The total score range on this scale is 0-80.
To validate the questionnaire content, a panel of experts (n=13) was consulted. The panel comprised of specialists in human resource management and hospital executive management. They were asked to comment on the relevance of the items to each other as well as the overall construct. They also rated the clarity of content. To substantiate the reliability and the internal consistency of the questionnaire, before the main data collection phase, it was piloted on 50 hospital staff. These respondents were later on excluded from the main participants. The results were compared to the results obtained from the main data collection phase, to test the test-retest reliability. The overall Cronbach’s alpha was estimated at.91. That of every dimension of organizational climate, including clarity of goals, the clarity of role, satisfaction of rewards, effectiveness of communications, and agreement on procedures was, respectively,.72,.76,.73,.81 and.56 [27]. The participants were selected through convenience sampling.
Data analysis
Descriptive statistics for categorical variables were reported using frequencies and percentages. Continuous variables were described as means and standard deviations (SDs). The relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and the resilience were assessed using Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney test, and Kruskal-Wallis test, due to violations of the normality assumption.
Multiple linear regression analysis was used to predict the respondents’ organizational resilience based on the perceived organizational. Data analysis was done using STATA 15.
The sample size was determined to be 219 using the formula below and a previous study [22]; accounting for a 20% loss, a minimum of 264 participants is required.
Z α= 1.96, Z β= 0.84 (Power 80%), σ= 15.84, mean=63.10, E= 3. Refer to the references concerning this issue[23].
Study area and population
The Allameh Behlool Gonabadi Hospital, located in Khorasan Razavi province, is a leading general hospital featuring 320 beds. The seven-story structure, spanning 80,000 sqm, includes 24,000 sqm allocated to the inner building. It encompasses emergency and air emergency wards, four surgical and three internal wards, and various special care departments, making it a comprehensive healthcare facility in the region.
Data collection and measurements
Data were collected through paper-based questionnaire comprised of several parts: A) Sociodemographic questionnaire. B) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RIS): The CD-RIS scale aimed to measure resilience by examining five factors: tenacity and competence, trusting in one’s instincts and tolerating negative affect, accepting of change and secure within relationships, control, and spirituality. This questionnaire comprises 25 items that are scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not true at all or zero to true nearly all the time or 4. The score range on CD-RIS scale is 0-100. The higher the overall score on this scale, the greater the respondent's resilience, and vice versa [24]. Bigdeli et al. reported the internal consistency of this scale using Cronbach's alpha and the estimated value was 0.9 [25]. Campbell-Silles et al. standardized the initial draft of the resilience scale by selecting 10 items out of 25 items on a sample of 511 participants. The construct validity of the new resilience scale was tested using a confirmatory factor analysis. For every 10 questions, the factor loading was between 44 to 93%, which indicates a desired and acceptable construct validity of the scale [26].
C) Organizational Climate scale: This scale developed by Lyle Sussman and Sam Deep contains 20 questions, which aims to explore the five dimensions of organizational climate (clarity of goals, the clarity of role, satisfaction of rewards, effectiveness of communications, and agreement on procedures). The questions are to be rated on a 5-point Likert scale (fully disagree=0, disagree=1, no idea= 2, agree=3, entirely agree=4). Each dimension can receive a score between 0 and 16. The total score range on this scale is 0-80.
To validate the questionnaire content, a panel of experts (n=13) was consulted. The panel comprised of specialists in human resource management and hospital executive management. They were asked to comment on the relevance of the items to each other as well as the overall construct. They also rated the clarity of content. To substantiate the reliability and the internal consistency of the questionnaire, before the main data collection phase, it was piloted on 50 hospital staff. These respondents were later on excluded from the main participants. The results were compared to the results obtained from the main data collection phase, to test the test-retest reliability. The overall Cronbach’s alpha was estimated at.91. That of every dimension of organizational climate, including clarity of goals, the clarity of role, satisfaction of rewards, effectiveness of communications, and agreement on procedures was, respectively,.72,.76,.73,.81 and.56 [27]. The participants were selected through convenience sampling.
Data analysis
Descriptive statistics for categorical variables were reported using frequencies and percentages. Continuous variables were described as means and standard deviations (SDs). The relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and the resilience were assessed using Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney test, and Kruskal-Wallis test, due to violations of the normality assumption.
Multiple linear regression analysis was used to predict the respondents’ organizational resilience based on the perceived organizational. Data analysis was done using STATA 15.
Results
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 300 staff members from Allameh Behlool Hospital participated in this study. Table 1 shows the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and their association with resilience, analyzed through Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. The participants had a median age of 33 years (IQR=28-40), with ages ranging from 22 to 60 years. They also had a median work experience of 7 years (IQR=3-14.5), with experience ranging from 1 to 30 years. Females comprised 54% of the participants. The majority (67%) of participants held a bachelor's degree. Over half (59.67%) of the participants worked rotating shifts, and nurses and midwives constituted nearly half (49%) of the study sample. Table 1 shows the characteristics of the study participants and their relationship with resilience.
A Spearman correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between age and participant resilience (rho=0.16, P<0.01). However, no significant relationship was identified between work experience and resilience (P=0.09).
Table 1 shows that there was no statistically significant relationship between other characteristics and the respondents’ perceived psychological resilience
Table 2 describes participants' perceived resilience and organizational climate. The mean psychological resilience was 66.04, and the mean organizational climate was 53.83; both scores were higher than the average level.
Table 3 presents a significant positive correlation between perceived organizational dimensions and psychological resilience (P<0.05). The linear regression analysis revealed in Table 4 a significant positive association between organizational climate and psychological resilience among the hospital staff, after controlling for age and work experience (P=0.001). This indicates that a more positive perception of the organizational climate is associated with higher levels of resilience. Overall, we found a significant positive correlation between staff age and resilience, suggesting that older staff members may experience higher levels of resilience. Regarding the main objective of our research, we found that a positive organizational climate is associated with increased resilience. Regression analysis also indicated that a positive perception of the organizational climate is significantly associated with higher resilience levels, after controlling for age and work experience. However, the adjusted R² value in the regression model is as low as 0.1, it indicating that the model explains only 10% of the variance in the dependent variable.
The findings will be discussed in detail in the next section.
A Spearman correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between age and participant resilience (rho=0.16, P<0.01). However, no significant relationship was identified between work experience and resilience (P=0.09).
Table 1 shows that there was no statistically significant relationship between other characteristics and the respondents’ perceived psychological resilience
Table 2 describes participants' perceived resilience and organizational climate. The mean psychological resilience was 66.04, and the mean organizational climate was 53.83; both scores were higher than the average level.
Table 3 presents a significant positive correlation between perceived organizational dimensions and psychological resilience (P<0.05). The linear regression analysis revealed in Table 4 a significant positive association between organizational climate and psychological resilience among the hospital staff, after controlling for age and work experience (P=0.001). This indicates that a more positive perception of the organizational climate is associated with higher levels of resilience. Overall, we found a significant positive correlation between staff age and resilience, suggesting that older staff members may experience higher levels of resilience. Regarding the main objective of our research, we found that a positive organizational climate is associated with increased resilience. Regression analysis also indicated that a positive perception of the organizational climate is significantly associated with higher resilience levels, after controlling for age and work experience. However, the adjusted R² value in the regression model is as low as 0.1, it indicating that the model explains only 10% of the variance in the dependent variable.
The findings will be discussed in detail in the next section.
Table 1. Characteristics of study participants and their association with resilience (n=300)
| P-value | Resilience Median (Q1-Q3) |
Participants characteristics Median (IQR) or N (%) |
|
| P=0.47a | Sex | ||
| 65 (60-71) | 162 (54.0) | Female | |
| 65.5 (61.5-72.5) | 128 (42.67) | Male | |
| 70.5 (62-78) | 10 (3.33) | Not reported | |
| P=0.22b | Education | ||
| 65 (63-72.5) | 52 (17.33) | ≥High School Diploma | |
| 73 (63-84.5) | 12 (4.0) | Associate degree | |
| 66 (60-71) | 201(67.0) | Bachelor's degree | |
| 57 (55-74) | 15(5.0) | Master’s degree | |
| 70 (64-72) | 9 (3.0) | Docttoral degrees | |
| 65 (62-77) | 11 (3.67) | Not reported | |
| P=0.51b | 66 (61-74) | Types of work shifts | |
| 64.5 (57-72) | 84(28) | First shift | |
| 65 (60-71) | 18(6.0) | Fixed shift | |
| 65 (61-73) | 179 (59.67) | Rotating shift | |
| 66 (61-74) | 19 (6.33) | Not reported | |
| P=0.64b | 66 (63-72) | Job categories | |
| 65.5 (60-72) | 9 (3.0) | Physician | |
| 66 (59-70) | 147 (49.0) | Nurse, midwife | |
| 65 (63-74) | 54 (18.0) | Official (white-color worker) | |
| 66 (57-70) | 46 (15.33) | Maintenance | |
| 74 (73-78) | 6 (2.0) | Paraclinical | |
| 74.5 (61-83.5) | 9 (3.0) | Security guard | |
| 64 (62-73) | 29 (9.6) | Not reported | |
a: Mann-Whitney test; b: Kruskal-Wallis test
Table 2. Perceived organizational climate and resilience
Table 2. Perceived organizational climate and resilience
| Max | Min | Q1-Q3 | Median | N | Variable |
| 98 | 18 | 61-72 | 65 | 299 | Psychological resilience |
| 80 | 13 | 43-67 | 55 | 273 | Organizational climate |
Table 3. Correlation between the dimensions of organizational climate and resilience
| Organizational climate components | Value rho* | P-value |
| Clarity of goals | 0.25 | 0.001 |
| Clarity of role | 0.39 | 0.001 |
| Satisfaction of rewards | 0.15 | 0.009 |
| Agreement on procedures | 0.20 | 0.001 |
| Effectiveness communications | 0.26 | 0.001 |
*Sparman Correlation
Table 4. Linear regression analysis of the organizational climate and resilience
Table 4. Linear regression analysis of the organizational climate and resilience
| Variables | B (std. err.) | P-value |
| Age | 0.24 (0.20) | 0.21 |
| Work experience | -0.06 (0.21) | 0.76 |
| Organizational climate | 0.24 (0.05) | 0.001 |
| Constant | 45.03 (5.68) | 0.001 |
| Adjusted r2 | 0.10 | |
| RMSE | 11.20 | |
Discussion
The present study aimed to evaluate the level of psychological resilience among the staff of Allameh Behlool Hospital in Gonabad and its association with the perceived organizational climate during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Overall, the psychological resilience and organizational climate among the participants was above average during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the regression analysis showed a significant positive relationship between organizational climate and psychological resilience among the hospital staff. This suggests that staff members who reported greater clarity of organizational goals, clear understanding of their roles, satisfaction with rewards received, effective communication, and agreement on work procedures, also tended to have higher levels of psychological resilience.
In this study, the hospital staffs’ psychological resilience was slightly above average (66.04). A similar study reported a relatively good level of psychological readiness of the hospital's emergency staff in the face of COVID-19 [28]. In another study of 600 medical workers in China, the mean score of perceived psychological resilience was reported as 65.76. According to this study, providing adequate equipment and protective materials is a must to warrant medical staff’s personal security and the staff should be trained to use them efficiently [29]. In another study among nurses, their mean score of psychological resilience was estimated at 78.22. As this study showed, high resilience promotes physical and mental health and can be improved by teaching psychological interventions and the full use of hospital resources [30]. The results of the bivariate analysis in the present study revealed a significant positive correlation between age and psychological resilience. Psychological resilience increased with age, although the effect size was small. This finding can be attributed to individuals' accumulated experiences with crises, which likely enhanced their ability to cope with emergent conditions. In a related study, high perceived stress, feminine gender identification, lack of awareness regarding COVID-19 protective measures, and insufficient access to protective materials for employees exhibited a significant negative correlation with resilience [29].
In this study, the mean score of perceived organizational climate was also higher than the average level. In a study conducted on the nurses of the COVID-19 ward, they evaluated the organizational atmosphere as average [15]. In a study, nurses' perceived organizational climate in Myanmar hospitals was assessed with a focus on nurses' working conditions and their management in hospital settings [20]. In another study on 5,117 nursing staff in Japan, the organizational climate of hospitals was found to be moderate to high. Employees' perception of the organizational climate varied significantly concerning working conditions (full-time vs. part-time) and positions (nurse vs. assistant nurse) in hospitals and wards. However, in the present study, no statistically significant difference was found between the various work shifts and the perceived organizational climate. This may be attributed to the heavy workload experienced across all work shifts during the pandemic. This lack of correlation might be due to the heavy workload of all work shifts during the pandemic. A careful investigation of this issue requires further research.
Our findings reveal that the perceived organizational climate among hospital staff is correlated with their psychological resilience, and this correlation is statistically significant. Therefore, the more positive the perception of organizational climate, the more the psychological resilience. This relationship was significant for all perceived organizational climate dimensions, including clarity of goals, the clarity of role, satisfaction of rewards, the effectiveness of communications, and agreement on procedures with psychological resilience. Numerous studies have reported organizational and managerial factors associated with psychological resilience and found it to the benefit of the organization [31]. A study conducted in Iran has also shown that organizational factors such as lack of resources, interactive relationships with other employees, interpersonal conflicts, and organizational policies, have affected the physical and mental health of healthcare workers during the period of COVID-19 [32].
Recent research found a relationship between job resources, support, and the promotion of resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic [6]. Furthermore, evidence indicates the substantial positive influence of the organizational climate on job commitment, motivation, satisfaction, and organizational behavior in Iranian hospitals [19, 33-37]. Each of these variables may play a mediating role in enhancing staff resilience and warrants further investigation in future studies. Notably, the effect of organizational climate on employee behavior is often mediated by psychological factors. For instance, in a separate study, the connection between a learning-oriented organizational climate and active behaviors among staff was explored, highlighting its role in bolstering resilience [38]. The results of another study showed that organizational membership behavior is shown only if the supportive organizational climate becomes the staff’s psychological capital [39]. This is indicative of the interaction of organizational and individual levels with each other, which can be the focus of future studies.
The present study aimed to evaluate the level of psychological resilience among the staff of Allameh Behlool Hospital in Gonabad and its association with the perceived organizational climate during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Overall, the psychological resilience and organizational climate among the participants was above average during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the regression analysis showed a significant positive relationship between organizational climate and psychological resilience among the hospital staff. This suggests that staff members who reported greater clarity of organizational goals, clear understanding of their roles, satisfaction with rewards received, effective communication, and agreement on work procedures, also tended to have higher levels of psychological resilience.
In this study, the hospital staffs’ psychological resilience was slightly above average (66.04). A similar study reported a relatively good level of psychological readiness of the hospital's emergency staff in the face of COVID-19 [28]. In another study of 600 medical workers in China, the mean score of perceived psychological resilience was reported as 65.76. According to this study, providing adequate equipment and protective materials is a must to warrant medical staff’s personal security and the staff should be trained to use them efficiently [29]. In another study among nurses, their mean score of psychological resilience was estimated at 78.22. As this study showed, high resilience promotes physical and mental health and can be improved by teaching psychological interventions and the full use of hospital resources [30]. The results of the bivariate analysis in the present study revealed a significant positive correlation between age and psychological resilience. Psychological resilience increased with age, although the effect size was small. This finding can be attributed to individuals' accumulated experiences with crises, which likely enhanced their ability to cope with emergent conditions. In a related study, high perceived stress, feminine gender identification, lack of awareness regarding COVID-19 protective measures, and insufficient access to protective materials for employees exhibited a significant negative correlation with resilience [29].
In this study, the mean score of perceived organizational climate was also higher than the average level. In a study conducted on the nurses of the COVID-19 ward, they evaluated the organizational atmosphere as average [15]. In a study, nurses' perceived organizational climate in Myanmar hospitals was assessed with a focus on nurses' working conditions and their management in hospital settings [20]. In another study on 5,117 nursing staff in Japan, the organizational climate of hospitals was found to be moderate to high. Employees' perception of the organizational climate varied significantly concerning working conditions (full-time vs. part-time) and positions (nurse vs. assistant nurse) in hospitals and wards. However, in the present study, no statistically significant difference was found between the various work shifts and the perceived organizational climate. This may be attributed to the heavy workload experienced across all work shifts during the pandemic. This lack of correlation might be due to the heavy workload of all work shifts during the pandemic. A careful investigation of this issue requires further research.
Our findings reveal that the perceived organizational climate among hospital staff is correlated with their psychological resilience, and this correlation is statistically significant. Therefore, the more positive the perception of organizational climate, the more the psychological resilience. This relationship was significant for all perceived organizational climate dimensions, including clarity of goals, the clarity of role, satisfaction of rewards, the effectiveness of communications, and agreement on procedures with psychological resilience. Numerous studies have reported organizational and managerial factors associated with psychological resilience and found it to the benefit of the organization [31]. A study conducted in Iran has also shown that organizational factors such as lack of resources, interactive relationships with other employees, interpersonal conflicts, and organizational policies, have affected the physical and mental health of healthcare workers during the period of COVID-19 [32].
Recent research found a relationship between job resources, support, and the promotion of resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic [6]. Furthermore, evidence indicates the substantial positive influence of the organizational climate on job commitment, motivation, satisfaction, and organizational behavior in Iranian hospitals [19, 33-37]. Each of these variables may play a mediating role in enhancing staff resilience and warrants further investigation in future studies. Notably, the effect of organizational climate on employee behavior is often mediated by psychological factors. For instance, in a separate study, the connection between a learning-oriented organizational climate and active behaviors among staff was explored, highlighting its role in bolstering resilience [38]. The results of another study showed that organizational membership behavior is shown only if the supportive organizational climate becomes the staff’s psychological capital [39]. This is indicative of the interaction of organizational and individual levels with each other, which can be the focus of future studies.
Conclusion
This study investigated the relationship between organizational climate and psychological resilience among staff at an educational hospital in Gonabad during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest a significant positive association between organizational climate and psychological resilience among staff. These findings highlight the importance of fostering a positive work environment to support staff well-being and resilience, particularly during crises. Given that the components of organizational climate were significantly correlated with participants' resilience, specific interventions to enhance resilience might include improving clarity and communication, enhancing reward systems, promoting effective communication, and providing training programs and resources focused on stress management, coping mechanisms, and resilience.
By adopting an integrated approach that addresses the psychological well-being of staff and the organizational climate, healthcare leaders can create a more supportive and resilient workforce, enhancing the organization's ability to manage future challenges.
By adopting an integrated approach that addresses the psychological well-being of staff and the organizational climate, healthcare leaders can create a more supportive and resilient workforce, enhancing the organization's ability to manage future challenges.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
The regional Ethics Committee of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences approved this study under the Ethics Code IR.GMU.REC.1400.023
Funding
This study was funded by the Deputy of Research and Technology at Gonabad University of Medical Sciences (grant number: A-10-1545-2).
Authors' contributions
All authors contributed to this article.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
The research team sincerely thanks all the hospital personnel who participated in this study during the critical period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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پاییز .1401 دوره .28 شماره 4
Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Basic Medical Science
Received: 2024/03/5 | Accepted: 2024/11/17 | Published: 2023/03/10
Received: 2024/03/5 | Accepted: 2024/11/17 | Published: 2023/03/10
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