Abstract

Background: NGO workers often find themselves working under conditions involving high emotional labour and limited resources. These conditions make them highly vulnerable to burnout. Self-efficacy, which is an individual’s belief in their ability to manage challenges has shown to shield workers from exhaustion in professional settings. However, its role in the NGO sector specifically, especially in India remains understudied. Aim: The current study examines the relationship between self-efficacy and burnout among NGO workers in Bangalore. Methodology: A correlational study was done. The sample consisted of 73 full-time service-oriented NGO workers in the age gap between 30-50 years selected through convenience and snowball sampling. Data were collected through the General Self-Efficacy Scale by Schwarzer & Jerusalem (1995) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory by Kristensen et al (2005). Descriptive analyses, Pearson’s correlation and simple linear regression were conducted using SPSS. Results: NGO workers showed moderate levels of self-efficacy and burnout across all three dimensions (personal burnout, work-related burnout and client-related burnout). Self-efficacy showed significant negative correlations with personal burnout (r = -.402), work-related burnout (r = -.426), client-related burnout (r = -.520) and overall burnout (r = -.486). Regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy was significantly associated with lower burnout levels accounting for 23.6% of variance in burnout (p <.001). Conclusion: The findings highlight that higher self-efficacy is linked to lower levels of burnout among NGO workers. So, strengthening the self-efficacy levels of NGO workers may work as a protective factor in shielding them against probable exhaustion.