Burnout, critical incidents and social support in security guards

The present study examines whether the experience of a critical incident (CI) is associated with higher burnout scores; whether strong social support is associated with reduced burnout scores; and whether social support moderates the relationship between a CI and burnout scores. Security guards (n = 530) filled out the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Self‐Rating Inventory for Post‐traumatic Stress Disorder and the Social Support List. The experience of a CI was reported by 41.1 per cent of the participants, which explained a significant amount of variance in the participants' burnout scores. Everyday emotional support and social companionship were negatively related to burnout. Emotional support with problems showed a positive association with burnout. The authors suggest that the first two forms of social support may function as buffers, whereas the latter could have an aggravating effect on burnout complaints. No significant interaction effects between social support and CI were present. This indicates that, in the present study, social support did not have a moderating effect on the relationship between a CI and burnout. Relations between social support and burnout are discussed, as are limitations of this study and suggestions for further research.