The buffering effects of mindfulness and organizational support on the mental health of hospital pharmacists in high-workload environments

Rehman S. Alotaibi K.A. Rehman E. Khan M.N. Rahman M.A. Yaqoob B.
December 2025 Nature Research

Scientific Reports
2025 #15 Issue 1

The present research aims to explore the impact of workload on the mental well-being of hospital pharmacists, focusing on the mediating roles of mindfulness and perceived organizational support (POS). Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 411 hospital pharmacists in Punjab, Pakistan, during July–September 2023 via stratified sampling. Mental well-being was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the workload was assessed by the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), mindfulness using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire—Short Form (FFMQ-SF), and POS using a modified version of the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to validate the measurement model, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the constructs involved. Further, the study utilized the PROCESS macro within SPSS (v28) to conduct mediation analysis, evaluating both direct and indirect effects of workload on mental well-being through the proposed mediators. The findings revealed a significant negative influence of workload on the participants’ mental well-being (β = − 0.472, p < 0.001). Three indirect pathways further affect this association: through mindfulness (β = − 0.208, p < 0.001), POS (β = − 0.135, p < 0.001), and serially through both mindfulness and POS (β = − 0.073, p < 0.001). These indirect effects collectively account for a substantial portion of the overall impact. The findings highlight the importance of implementing strategies to manage workload and enhance mindfulness and organizational support to promote the mental well-being of hospital pharmacists.

Hospital pharmacists , Mediation analysis , Mental well-being , Mindfulness , Perceived organizational support , Workload

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Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, Changsha, 410011, China
Mental Health Institute of Central South University, China National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Hunan Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hunan Medical Center for Mental Health, Hunan, Changsha, 410011, China
Department of Psychology, College of Education, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia
Department of Mathematics, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
Electrical Engineering Department, Government College University Lahore, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
Department of Accounting, Data Analytics, Economics and Finance, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
Department of Pharmacy, The Women University, Multan, Pakistan

Department of Psychiatry
Mental Health Institute of Central South University
Department of Psychology
Department of Mathematics
Electrical Engineering Department
Department of Accounting
Department of Pharmacy

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