Perceived Resilience, Meaningful Work, and Mental Health Strain Among Emergency Medicine Clinicians Following a Surge in COVID-19

Vosika, Emma C.; Britt, Thomas W.; McCallus, Riley L.; Shuffler, Marissa; Hirsh, Emily

doi:10.3390/bs16010010

Open AccessArticle

Perceived Resilience, Meaningful Work, and Mental Health Strain Among Emergency Medicine Clinicians Following a Surge in COVID-19

by

Emma C. Vosika

^1,*

,

Thomas W. Britt

¹,

Riley L. McCallus

²

,

Marissa Shuffler

¹

and

Emily Hirsh

³

¹

Department of Psychology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA

²

Department of Psychology, Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613, USA

³

Department of Emergency Medicine, Prisma Health, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC 29605, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010010

Submission received: 31 October 2025 / Revised: 14 December 2025 / Accepted: 17 December 2025 / Published: 20 December 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burnout and Psychological Well-Being of Healthcare Workers)

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Abstract

Emergency medicine clinicians face disproportionately high levels of burnout and mental health strain compared to other specialties. This study examined whether perceived resilience predicted reduced mental health strain following the COVID-19 Omicron surge and whether meaningful work mediated this relationship. Participants were 197 emergency medicine professionals at a large hospital system who completed monthly surveys during the pandemic. Perceived resilience and meaningful work were measured pre-Omicron surge, and mental health strain was measured post-surge. Results showed that higher perceived resilience significantly predicted lower mental health strain and that meaningful work explained 40% of this relationship. The findings emphasize that resilience matters and that its benefits are at least partly a function of meaningful work. Broader implications extend to organizations seeking to strengthen workforce well-being. Interventions should integrate resilience-building with practices that enhance purpose and meaning at work.

Keywords: resilience; meaningful work; mental health; well-being; COVID-19

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MDPI and ACS Style

Vosika, E.C.; Britt, T.W.; McCallus, R.L.; Shuffler, M.; Hirsh, E. Perceived Resilience, Meaningful Work, and Mental Health Strain Among Emergency Medicine Clinicians Following a Surge in COVID-19. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010010

AMA Style

Vosika EC, Britt TW, McCallus RL, Shuffler M, Hirsh E. Perceived Resilience, Meaningful Work, and Mental Health Strain Among Emergency Medicine Clinicians Following a Surge in COVID-19. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(1):10. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010010

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vosika, Emma C., Thomas W. Britt, Riley L. McCallus, Marissa Shuffler, and Emily Hirsh. 2026. "Perceived Resilience, Meaningful Work, and Mental Health Strain Among Emergency Medicine Clinicians Following a Surge in COVID-19" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 1: 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010010

APA Style

Vosika, E. C., Britt, T. W., McCallus, R. L., Shuffler, M., & Hirsh, E. (2026). Perceived Resilience, Meaningful Work, and Mental Health Strain Among Emergency Medicine Clinicians Following a Surge in COVID-19. Behavioral Sciences, 16(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010010

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Perceived Resilience, Meaningful Work, and Mental Health Strain Among Emergency Medicine Clinicians Following a Surge in COVID-19

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