The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital Between Work-Life Balance and Work Engagement
by HAVADER Editör Ekibi
We've probably all heard the line "if you think positive, you can overcome anything." But is workplace engagement really a matter of individual mindset, or is it shaped by the conditions a company provides? This study tests that question using airline cabin crew.
Female flight attendants juggle both work and personal life roles simultaneously within a demanding work schedule. The goal was to examine whether "psychological capital" — individual resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy — mediates the effect of work-life balance on work engagement (i.e., feeling committed, motivated, and energized at work).
Analysis of data from 103 female flight attendants at a Turkish airline produced an interesting result: work-life balance positively affects both engagement and psychological capital, but psychological capital's expected mediating role on engagement wasn't supported. In other words, how "resilient and optimistic" a flight attendant is doesn't by itself explain how committed they feel to their job.
The value of this finding is that it corrects a fairly important misconception: flight attendants' work engagement is shaped more by organizational arrangements and working conditions than by individual psychological resources. An everyday analogy: it's similar to how a student's motivation isn't just about "being determined" — it's directly tied to the support the school provides, the flexibility of the schedule, and the teacher's approach. Telling someone to "think positive" doesn't make up for a bad work schedule.
This study sends a clear message to airlines: if you want to boost flight attendants' engagement, resilience training alone won't do it — what's actually needed is concrete organizational practices that support work-life balance, like flexible shift planning and predictable working hours.
Female flight attendants juggle both work and personal life roles simultaneously within a demanding work schedule. The goal was to examine whether "psychological capital" — individual resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy — mediates the effect of work-life balance on work engagement (i.e., feeling committed, motivated, and energized at work).
Analysis of data from 103 female flight attendants at a Turkish airline produced an interesting result: work-life balance positively affects both engagement and psychological capital, but psychological capital's expected mediating role on engagement wasn't supported. In other words, how "resilient and optimistic" a flight attendant is doesn't by itself explain how committed they feel to their job.
The value of this finding is that it corrects a fairly important misconception: flight attendants' work engagement is shaped more by organizational arrangements and working conditions than by individual psychological resources. An everyday analogy: it's similar to how a student's motivation isn't just about "being determined" — it's directly tied to the support the school provides, the flexibility of the schedule, and the teacher's approach. Telling someone to "think positive" doesn't make up for a bad work schedule.
This study sends a clear message to airlines: if you want to boost flight attendants' engagement, resilience training alone won't do it — what's actually needed is concrete organizational practices that support work-life balance, like flexible shift planning and predictable working hours.