Effects of Generational Gap on Job Burnout within Firefighting Organizations: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Generational Conflict and Communication Skills

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between generational differences, generational conflict, communication ability, and job burnout among members of firefighting organizations and examine the effects of generational conflict and communication ability on job burnout. Using a sample of 209 firefighters, generational differences and conflict were found to be positively related to emotional exhaustion, a subfactor of job burnout, and communication ability was negatively related to emotional exhaustion. The relationship between generational differences and emotional exhaustion is fully mediated by generational conflict and communication ability. Although the overall indirect effects were not significant, generational conflict and communication ability were found to influence job burnout. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the link between generational differences and job burnout. This study’s findings suggest that despite generational gap existing within firefighting organizations, fostering mutual respect and communication ability may be effective in preventing conflict-related burnout.