Regulation, resources, and job burnout among traffic auxiliary police in China: evidence from G City

Background: Traffic auxiliary police often work under stringent institutional regulation while receiving limited organizational and digital support, a combination that may heighten the risk of burnout. Evidence on how regulatory demands and work-related resources jointly shape burnout in this occupational group remains limited. Methods: Using a multistage stratified sample of 502 traffic auxiliary police officers in G City, southern China, this study integrates regulatory theory with the job demands-resources (JD-R) model to examine the associations of job regulation demands and job resources with burnout. Multiple linear regression, mediation analysis, bootstrap testing, and moderation analysis were used to assess the roles of job satisfaction and digital resources. Results: Job regulation demands were positively associated with burnout, whereas job resources were negatively associated with burnout. Among the three burnout dimensions, emotional exhaustion showed the strongest association. Regulatory pressure constraints and regulatory environment discrepancies showed relatively consistent positive associations with burnout, whereas regulatory role tension was associated with selected burnout dimensions. Among the job-resource dimensions, organizational resource support showed the most consistent negative association with burnout, while career performance feedback and work autonomy resources showed more dimension-specific or weaker associations. Job satisfaction partially mediated these relationships, and digital resources moderated them. Conclusion: Burnout among grassroots traffic auxiliary police reflects a structural imbalance between regulatory demands and available resources. Reducing excessive regulatory pressure, strengthening institutional and digital support, and adopting satisfaction-oriented management may help protect occupational health in grassroots collaborative law enforcement.