Psycho-social risk and protective factors associated with resilience in journalism

The polarized socio-political context is a defining feature of Macedonian society, marked by challenges such as limited transparency in political and media institutions, pressure on journalists, disinformation, and self-censorship. Reporting under such prolonged and complex conditions places considerable demands on journalists’ coping capacities and resilience. This study examines the relationship between psychosocial risk factors in the work environment and resilience among journalists in Macedonia. A field survey was conducted between March and June 2025 using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ-III) to assess psychosocial risk factors and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25) to measure resilience. The findings suggest that journalists identify job insecurity, organizational justice, horizontal trust, work-life conflict, quality of leadership, and emotional demands as key psychosocial risk factors. The results further indicate a moderately high level of resilience, suggesting that journalists are generally able to cope with demanding working conditions, although not without strain. Correlation analysis reveals that resilience is positively associated with protective work-related factors, including meaning of work, role clarity, possibilities for development, influence at work, and sense of community, while showing a significant negative association with job insecurity. Overall, the findings suggest that journalists’ resilience is strengthened by supportive organizational conditions and weakened by uncertainty and insecurity in the work environment. The study underscores the need to reduce psychosocial risks and enhance supportive and fair working conditions in order to sustain journalists’ resilience in the Macedonian socio-political context.