*3.4. Coping Strategies*

Coping strategies have been increasingly researched by scientific scholar during the past decade as important resources in challenging life situations [43]. To comprehend how people positively face adversity is crucial and important to know the factors that may contribute to or promote resilience [44]. Coping has been described as a person's efforts to alleviate, reduce, or manage menacing events that are appraised as challenging or stressful [45]. Prior research endeavours have clustered coping mechanism into two factors, namely problem-focused and emotion-focused [45]. The latter, is aimed at regulating distress and negative emotion rather than trying to change the events themselves, using strategies such as escape support seeking or avoidance. Problem-focused comprises addressing the

problem causing the distress the effective problem-focused contribute to positive psychological state by permitting individuals to experience some personal control and a sense of achievement [46].

The literature on coping has further distinguished between active and avoidant coping strategies [47]. Active coping strategies are perceived as behavioural or psychological reactions intended to change the nature of the stressor themselves or how one thinks about them. Whereas, avoidant coping strategies lead individuals into activities, such as alcohol use or destructive mental states, such as withdrawal that prevent them from addressing the stressor directly [47].

Previous research has found that individual who cope with stress by seeking social support or voicing their feeling (emotion-focused) are likely to experience negative outcomes than individual who address the experienced stressor immediately by working on find solutions to their problems [47]. A study by Pisula and Kossakowska [48] on SOC and COP in a sample of mothers and fathers of children with autism, found that a high level of SOC related positively to seeking social support and self-controlling and negatively with accepting responsibility. A previous study by Rothmann and Jorgensen [49] found that WE related positively to problem-focused coping, positive reinterpretation, and growth. High level of COP was found to play an important role in dealing with occupational stress [50]. The following section discusses inter-linkages of the four constructs described above.

#### *3.5. Sense of Coherence, Burnout and Work Engagement Relationships*

Researchers are investigating the link between COP, SOC, BO, and WE [3,26,49]. Several studies demonstrate that SOC relates positively to employees' level of WE, work involvement and stress [20], and influences the ability to mobilise and generate social resources in the workplace [51]. SOC predicts WE in different cultural groups in South Africa [3]. A strong SOC positively relates to WE, and negatively to the exhaustion and cynicism dimensions of BO [27]. Employees with a weak SOC and a low level of WE tend to develop BO and be less involved and engaged in their work. May, Gilson, and Harter [50] point out that WE relates particularly positively to meaningfulness, which is the third component of SOC. Employees who have developed a strong SOC show WE, are more involved, and actively participate in their work [1,4,20]. WE and BO are conceptualised to be opposing constructs on the ease-disease continuum, while vigour and dedication are the direct opposites of exhaustion and mental distance (cynicism) [3]. Previous research has found that WE and BO relate closely to work-associated well-being [8,52], while managing job burnout prevents ill-health outcomes [1,41,53].

Research has established that BO relates negatively to WE, as it does to SOC [8]. In order to facilitate WE and prevent BO, organisational contexts should foster environments where employees feel enthusiastic, energised, and motivated [54]. However, WE does not always lead to high performance, nor does high performance always indicate WE [55]. This means that employees may show initiative and take responsibility; not because they feel engaged, but rather because they fear redundancy and want to prove their capability. Conversely, employees might fail to show initiative; not because they are unengaged, but rather because constraints in the environment inhibit them from displaying their initiative [55].

#### *3.6. COP as Moderator*

Several empirical studies have examined the influence of COP in the association between occupational stress, SOC, BO, and WE [10,48], stress mindset, and psychological stress response [56]. However, the findings of these studies were divergent. For example, Rothmann, Jorgensen and Marais [49] reported that high problem-focused, seeking social support, turning to religion and low ventilation of emotions predicted work engagement. Thus, Rodrigues et al. [57] found that coping and stress appraisals do not seem to predict work engagement. Although some authors argue that COP and SOC constructs are likely to reduce individual level of stress [44]. Furthermore, Basson and Rothmann [58] found that both SOC and COP predicted emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and personal accomplishment (BO). A study by Van der Colff and Rothmann [4] reported that SOC and ventilation of emotion, low seeking emotional/social support coping predicted emotional exhaustion. Individuals with a strong SOC, high level of confronting COP low burnout are likely to demonstrate a

higher level of work engagement [58]. Pisula and Kossakowska [48] studied the relationship between SOC and coping with stress and they found that SOC related negatively to COP. Although a great deal has been learned about the association between SOC, BO, and WE in Western countries [59], little has been learned in African contexts on how COP may moderate the relationship among these variables [3,26,35]. This void is addressed here for the DRC context.

#### **4. Purpose and Aim of the Study**

The purpose of this study is to examine how COP moderate the relationships between SOC, BO, and WE in a manufacturing organisation in the DRC. This purpose is informed by the void in research, exploring inter-linkages of the four constructs in African contexts, particularly in the DRC. The results of this study contribute to the body of knowledge of COP, SOC, BO, and WE, and can be used to increase organisational health and well-being, WE, whilst decreasing BO. The study addresses the void of research in Industrial and Organisational Psychology within developing countries in Central Africa, and particularly in the DRC.

The following research question guides the investigation and the presentation of the results:

