The mediating role of depressive symptoms in the burnout–work engagement relationship among prison officers in Trinidad and Tobago

This study examines the relationship between burnout and work engagement, and argues that depressive symptoms serve as a mediator between both constructs. We argue that burnout produces symptoms such as sadness, low motivation, withdrawal, and difficulty functioning, which then reduce work engagement. In examining this model, three subscales of work engagement (work vigor, dedication, and absorption) were used as the dependent variables, with data collected from a sample of 211 prison officers from Trinidad and Tobago in 2023. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that depressive symptoms partially mediated the impact of burnout on work vigor and work dedication, but did not serve as a mediator when work absorption was used as the endogenous variable. The implications of the findings are discussed.