Psychological Agency Attenuates the Link Between Discrimination and COVID-19 Burnout in Latine-Serving Community Health Workers.

Community health workers that serve low income Latine families (Latine-serving CHWs) play a crucial role in reducing health disparities, yet frequently encounter discrimination, which may elevate their risk for burnout. Burnout not only harms these CHWs' wellbeing but also deprives communities of the full benefit of CHWs' service. Identifying factors that buffer against these effects, such as psychological agency, can offer valuable insights for supporting CHWs. This study examines (1) the association between discrimination and burnout among Latine-serving CHWs and (2) the role of agency as a potential buffer in the link between discrimination and burnout. Data were collected in a context of pronounced stress for CHWs: the aftermath of the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N = 81 Latine-serving CHWs) completed standardized measures of discrimination and burnout. Participants also provided discrimination narratives which were coded for psychological agency. Higher frequency of self-reported discrimination significantly predicted higher work- and COVID-related burnout. Additionally, agency moderated the association between discrimination and COVID-related burnout, such that at high levels of agency, discrimination no longer predicted COVID-related burnout. However, agency did not significantly moderate the link between discrimination and work-related burnout. Findings suggest that strengthening agency may protect Latine-serving CHWs from the adverse effects of discrimination during periods of acute external stress. Programs building on this buffer may be particularly crucial in the current period of sociopolitical hostility toward immigrant Latine communities and may have implications for workers serving other vulnerable communities.