Understanding workplace well-being through appraisal and coping: A qualitative study of promotora/e de salud (community health workers) and leaders’

Introduction Promotora/es de Salud, a subgroup of Community Health Workers, experience significant workplace stressors, including uncompensated emotional labor and blurred professional-community boundaries. Using the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, this study explored how Promotora/es de Salud and leaders evaluate occupational stressors and coping resources, including how cultural nuances, such as marianismo and familismo, may influence well-being. Methods Using purposive and snowball sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom with Promotora/es de Salud ( n = 21) and leaders ( n = 10) in Colorado. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish and analyzed using a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic approach guided by stress appraisal and coping constructs. Results Primary appraisals yielded two themes: (1) occupational stressors, including vicarious community stress, direct institutional and political threats, and role overload and underappreciation; and (2) leadership-specific stressors. Secondary appraisals identified perceived constraints on coping resources, including caregiving burdens and organizational wellness gaps. Coping responses included individual strategies, such as boundary-setting, physical activity, and family-centered social connection, and organizational coping resources and workplace well-being inspirations, including healing circles, mindfulness, and flexible, peer-centered wellness programming. Discussion Findings illustrate multi-level occupational stressors, resource constraints, and gaps in culturally responsive workplace well-being initiatives. Self-care needs were diverse, context-dependent, and shaped by cultural values, including marianismo and familismo . Conclusion Findings support the development of flexible, culturally grounded workplace wellness programs that provide self-care options and peer support structures to address workplace stress and promote sustainable well-being among Promotora/es de Salud.