Mediating roles of rumination and emotional intelligence in the relationship between resilience and professional efficacy in pharmacy practice.

Background: Understanding the factors that enhance professional efficacy is essential for optimizing job performance and satisfaction in a high-pressure pharmaceutical practice environment. Consequently, this study investigates the relationship between psychological resilience and professional efficacy among pharmacists, with rumination and emotional intelligence as potential mediating factors.

Methods: We employed a cross-sectional design and structural equation modeling to analyze data from a sample of 576 pharmacists conducted in the Punjab province between September 2023 and January 2024. Psychological resilience was assessed using the six-item Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), the ten-item Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) measured rumination, emotional intelligence was evaluated using the ten-item Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), and professional efficacy was measured by the ten-item General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSS).

Results: Our results demonstrated that psychological resilience significantly enhances professional efficacy both directly (β = 0.396, p < 0.001) and indirectly through reducing rumination (β = -0.341, p < 0.001) and increasing emotional intelligence (β = 0.452, p < 0.001). However, a minor though significant chain mediation effect was observed, indicating that the combined influence of rumination and emotional intelligence contributes positively to professional efficacy (β = 0.028, p < 0.05).

Conclusion: These findings highlight the practical significance of fostering psychological resilience and emotional intelligence in pharmacy practice to improve professional efficacy. Interventions focusing on reducing rumination and enhancing emotional intelligence could enhance pharmacists' job performance and well-being. Pharmacy organizations should consider implementing resilience-building programs and emotional intelligence training to create supportive work environments that optimize performance and satisfaction.