Are Organizational Resources Always Protective? Journalists’ Job Burnout and Life Satisfaction under Collectivistic Contexts

Reducing job burnout is decisive for improving journalists’ well-being. Building on the job demands-resources model (JD-R) and self-determination theory, we combined a survey ( N = 1,000) of Chinese journalists with in-depth interviews ( N = 16) to examine how different job resources are associated with burnout in collectivistic contexts. Results partially supported the JD-R model: perceived organizational support was negatively associated with burnout, whereas job autonomy was unexpectedly positively associated with burnout. Further, interviews revealed dual interpretations of job resources in collectivistic contexts: organizational support was both care and an implicit obligation to reciprocate; autonomy was interpreted as delegated responsibility and risk.