Purpose

Burnout has been known to negatively affect volunteers. However, information involving various factors that influence their burnout is severely lacking. This study aims to examine how volunteers displayed adaptability, the ability to change their thoughts, actions and/or behaviors in uncertain situations, to offset the negative relationship with burnout. This study also examined the amount of training a volunteer reported as one factor that may act to moderate this negative relationship between adaptability and burnout.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the conservation of resources (COR) theory, the author investigated how volunteers try to maintain their current level of resources, which aids in coping with stress and lowering their risk of burnout.

Findings

Using regression, the author discovered that adaptability was negatively related to burnout and this relationship was stronger for volunteers who reported less training. Training was confirmed as a moderator in this relationship. In sum, training acted as a buffer in the negative relationship involving adaptability and burnout.

Originality/value

The current study is one of the few to adopt theories often used to understand employee experiences, and apply them to volunteers. Interestingly, across a variety of volunteer environments, these employment theories and relationships, including adaptability, appear to matter.

中文翻译：

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利用资源守恒理论来理解志愿者的适应性：减少倦怠的个人资源

目的

众所周知，倦怠会对志愿者产生负面影响。然而，涉及影响其倦怠的各种因素的信息却严重缺乏。本研究旨在考察志愿者如何表现出适应能力，即在不确定的情况下改变想法、行动和/或行为的能力，以抵消与倦怠的负面关系。这项研究还检查了一名志愿者报告的训练量，该因素可能会缓解适应性和倦怠之间的这种负相关关系。

设计/方法论/途径

作者利用资源节约 (COR) 理论，研究了志愿者如何努力维持当前的资源水平，这有助于应对压力并降低倦怠的风险。

发现

通过回归，作者发现适应性与倦怠呈负相关，并且这种关系对于报告训练较少的志愿者来说更为强烈。培训被确认为这种关系的调节者。总之，培训在适应性和倦怠的负面关系中起到了缓冲作用。

原创性/价值

目前的研究是少数采用常用于理解员工体验的理论并将其应用于志愿者的研究之一。有趣的是，在各种志愿者环境中，这些就业理论和关系（包括适应性）似乎都很重要。