Burnout and Resilience in Foreign Service Spouses during the Pandemic, and the Role of Organizational Support

Abstract

Little is known about foreign service spouses’ resilience and experience with stress, or which organizational supports are most effective for them in a crisis. The aims of this study were therefore to (1) measure resilience and personal burnout among foreign service spouses during the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) test whether resilience was associated with personal burnout; and (3) investigate which organizational supports from Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs), if any, were associated with resilience or personal burnout. A total of 421 foreign service spouses (316 women and 105 men, 89% from European MFAs) completed an online survey; data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Nearly a third of respondents (31%) had moderate personal burnout and 4.5% had high or severe personal burnout. Higher resilience was significantly correlated with lower personal burnout scores. While knowledge that they would be evacuated if necessary was significantly correlated with greater resilience, only 27.3% of respondents knew of this support. A designated contact person at the MFA, and knowledge of a policy abroad to reduce Covid-related risks were associated with lower personal burnout scores. This study provides a baseline for resilience and personal burnout in this population, and suggests which organizational supports may be most effective during a crisis.