Strength use and nurses' depressive symptoms: The mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction

Control beliefs about stress and post-traumatic growth in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating roles of basic psychological needs satisfaction and optimism

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between control beliefs about stress and post-traumatic growth among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction and optimism in this relationship. A total of 692 Chinese nurses participated in this online study, who completed the Beliefs about Stress Scale, Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale and demographic variables between September and October 2020. Results indicate that 48.8% (N = 388) of nurses reported significant post-traumatic growth related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, control beliefs about stress were positively related to post-traumatic growth (r = 0.38, p < 0.001), basic psychological needs satisfaction (r = 0.44, p < 0.001) and optimism (r = 0.47, p < 0.001). In addition, basic psychological needs satisfaction and optimism were both independent and serial mediators of the relationship between control beliefs about stress and post-traumatic growth. Nurses and hospital administrators should focus on increasing nurses' control beliefs about stress and thereby enhancing their post-traumatic growth after experiencing events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To support this process, programs should be designed to meet nurses' basic psychological needs and increase their optimism.

Perceived organizational support for strengths use and its impact on nurses' job performance: The mediating roles of control beliefs about stress and optimism

AIMS

This study explores how perceived organizational support for strengths use influences nurses' job performance, specifically examining the mediating effects of control beliefs about stress and optimism.

BACKGROUND

Identifying factors that enhance job performance is crucial in the demanding field of nursing. Previous research has highlighted the positive impact of perceived organizational support for strengths use on job performance.

METHOD

Conducted between May and October 2023, this study involved 653 nurses from various hospital settings across three Chinese provinces. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling methods ensured a representative sample. Questionnaires distributed via an online platform measured variables including perceived organizational support for strengths use, control beliefs about stress, optimism, and job performance. Data analysis utilized SPSS-25 and the PROCESS macro, with correlation and regression analyses examining the relationships between perceived organizational support for strengths use, control beliefs about stress, optimism, and job performance.

RESULTS

Perceived organizational support for strengths use positively correlates with control beliefs about stress, optimism, and job performance. Control beliefs about stress and optimism serve as mediators in the relationship between perceived organizational support for strengths use and job performance, both independently and sequentially, with optimism being the more potent mediator.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that control beliefs about stress and optimism independently and sequentially mediate the relationship between perceived organizational support for strengths use and job performance among nurses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

This research underscores the importance of creating a work environment that leverages nurses' strengths and fosters their ability to manage stress and maintain optimism in the face of workplace challenges. Such an environment can significantly enhance job performance and overall well-being among nurses.

The relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction, career adaptability and career construction in nursing students: A career construction theory perspective

AIM

To determine (i) the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction (competence, relatedness and autonomy), career adaptability and career construction, (ii) the role of career adaptability in this relationship and (iii) the variables that predict career construction in nursing students.

BACKGROUND

Career Construction Theory, which predicts that appropriate career behaviour, facilitated by individual characteristics, promotes a person's career outcomes, has not yet been tested in nursing students.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional and correlational design.

METHODS

A total of 536 students who were reached through a snowball sampling method among nursing students in the 2022-2023 academic year in Türkiye constituted the sample of the study. Data were collected online using the Student Information Form, the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale, Career Adapt-Abilities Scale-Short Form and the Student Career Construction Inventory. Data analysis was performed using Model 4 in Hayes' PROCESS Macro and hierarchical linear regression.

RESULTS

Autonomy, competence and relatedness were found to have a direct significant effect on career adaptability and overall career construction score (p<.001). Career adaptability was found to have a partial mediating role in the effect of autonomy, competence and relatedness on overall career construction score (p<.001). When examining the predictor variables for the career construction score, it was found that some variables, such as not having willingly chosen the nursing profession, had a negative effect, while a positive effect was found in the need for competence from the basic psychological needs satisfaction subscales and concern and confidence from the career adaptability subscales (p<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing educators should ensure that nursing students receive career counseling during their education according to Career Construction Theory to make effective career decisions by allowing them to self-identify and self-discover. Accordingly, career guidance, career education and career counseling initiatives can be implemented in accordance with students' needs.

Gratitude and depressive symptoms in Chinese nurses: From a self-determination theory perspective

BACKGROUND

A common psychological problem among nurses is depression, potentially affecting their well-being and job performance. It is vital to explore how to alleviate nurses' depressive symptoms.

AIM

The current research explored the mediating impact of basic psychological needs satisfaction on the link of gratitude with depressive symptoms.

METHODS

The nurses in this study were from mainland China. A total of 724 subjects completed an online questionnaire, which included measures of depressive symptoms, basic psychological needs satisfaction and gratitude.

RESULTS

Our research found that gratitude was negatively linked to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, basic psychological needs satisfaction had a partial mediation effect on the link of gratitude with depressive symptoms after controlling for five demographic variables. These results suggest that gratitude may influence depressive symptoms via basic psychological needs satisfaction.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

Our study found that basic psychological need satisfaction partially mediates the gratitude-depression relationship in nurses. The result means that hospital administrators and nurse leaders should design gratitude interventions to alleviate nurses' depressive symptoms. They also help nurses decrease depressive symptoms by creating an environment that meets their basic psychological needs.

How does strength use relate to burnout among Chinese healthcare professionals? Exploring the mediating roles of beliefs about stress and basic psychological needs satisfaction

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of burnout among healthcare workers remains chronically high. Former studies have indicated that strength use is a promising approach to reduce burnout. However, relatively little is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying the ability of strength use to reduce burnout, especially among healthcare workers.

AIM

This study sought to examine the link between strength use and burnout in Chinese healthcare workers, and to explore the mediating roles of beliefs about stress and basic psychological needs satisfaction in that relationship.

METHODS

This study was conducted in two time periods, from September to October 2020 and from February to September 2022. A total of 812 healthcare workers completed a multi-section questionnaire.

RESULTS

Strength use was negatively associated with burnout and negative stress beliefs, and positively associated with positive stress beliefs, control beliefs, and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Moreover, negative stress beliefs, control beliefs, and basic psychological needs satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between strength use and burnout. Furthermore, effect contrasts revealed that the mediating effect of basic psychological needs satisfaction was stronger than that of negative stress beliefs and control beliefs.

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed that negative stress beliefs, control beliefs, and basic psychological needs satisfaction act as mediators in the association of strength use with burnout. Furthermore, basic psychological needs satisfaction plays a more important mediating role than negative stress beliefs and control beliefs in the strength use-burnout relationship.

How does gratitude relate to nurses' job satisfaction? The mediating role of resilience and stress

BACKGROUND

Nurse job satisfaction is a critical area of study with far-reaching implications for healthcare organizations, patient care, and the retention of nursing staff.

AIMS

This study aimed to investigate the association of gratitude with job satisfaction among Chinese nurses and examine the potential mediating roles of resilience and stress in this relationship.

METHODS

Two separate studies were conducted to examine our research hypotheses. In Study 1, a total of 460 nurses completed the questionnaire related to gratitude, resilience, stress, and job satisfaction. A validation study was conducted in Study 2, which consisted of 709 nurses who also completed the same measures of gratitude, resilience, and stress to ensure the repeatability of the Study 1 results. Furthermore, a different scale was used to measure nurses' job satisfaction.

RESULTS

The two studies consistently found that both resilience and stress mediated gratitude-job satisfaction independently among Chinese nurses. Furthermore, resilience was found to be a significantly stronger mediator than stress in the association of gratitude with job satisfaction. Finally, we found that gratitude predicted nurses' job satisfaction via the serial mediating effects of resilience and stress.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the complex interplay between gratitude, resilience, stress, and job satisfaction by demonstrating that resilience and stress act as parallel and sequential mediators between nurses' gratitude and job satisfaction. The healthcare sector can improve nurses' job satisfaction by increasing gratitude, building resilience, and reducing feelings of stress.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

Nurse managers have the potential to enhance job satisfaction among nurses by implementing measures that increase gratitude, build resilience, and reduce stress levels.

Strength Use and Well-Being at Work among Teachers: The Mediating Role of Basic Need Satisfaction

Teachers' well-being at work is an important indicator of their mental health. Strengths use has been identified as a significant predictor of enhanced well-being at work. However, there is a scarcity of studies that have examined the connection between teachers' strengths use and well-being at work; thus, its underlying psychological mechanism is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the association between teachers' strengths and well-being at work together with the mediating role of basic need satisfaction. A total of 374 university teachers completed a series of questionnaires on strengths use, basic need satisfaction, hedonic well-being, and eudaimonic well-being. The results showed that there were positive correlations between strength use and both types of well-being at work. Moreover, basic need satisfaction mediated the association between strength use and two types of well-being at work. The findings suggest that institutions should prioritize enhancing teachers' ability to utilize their strengths and foster an environment conducive to such practices, thereby improving their workplace well-being.

Longitudinal linkages between strength use and depressive symptoms in Chinese nurses: A two wave, cross-lagged study

Nurses are at increased risk for developing depressive symptoms. While previous research has suggested that strength use may be inversely related to these symptoms, the longitudinal impact of strength use on nurses' depressive symptoms remains under-explored. This study sought to examine the longitudinal relationship between strength use and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses. Using a two-wave cross-lagged design from 2020 to 2023, 321 nurses participated in an online questionnaire survey. Using structural equation modeling, our results supported the hypothesized reciprocal model, indicating that strength use can significantly predict a reduction in depressive symptoms and vice versa. Given these findings, there's an urgent need for nurse leaders to emphasize the importance of using nurses' strengths as a strategy to alleviate depressive symptoms.

Does the presence of calling relate to career success? The role of strengths use and deficit correction among nurses

BACKGROUND

The presence of calling has been associated with beneficial outcomes for nurses, yet our understanding of these effects remains limited. Additionally, the mechanisms linking the presence of calling to these outcomes have not been well established in the nursing literature.

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the presence of calling and nurses' career success, mediated by the parallel effects of strengths use and deficit correction.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design was used.

METHODS

Data were collected from December 2022 to April 2023, involving 237 nurses working in six hospitals in Port Said, Egypt. The study utilized the Demographic Information Form, the Presence of Calling Scale, the Strengths Use Scale, the Deficit Correction Scale, and the Career Success Scale. Study hypotheses were evaluated using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Presence of calling positively related to nurses' career success. Furthermore, nurses' strengths use and deficit correction played a mediating role in the relationship between the presence of calling and career success.

CONCLUSION

Nurses who view their work as a calling are more inclined to utilize their strengths and address their deficits, resulting in a heightened sense of career success.

IMPLICATION FOR NURSING POLICYMAKING

Emphasising that nursing is a calling should commence during the undergraduate education of nurses, and this concept should be continually cultivated by hospital administrators throughout their professional careers. This approach empowers nurses to leverage their strengths, address their deficits, and ultimately enhance their sense of success in their nursing careers.

Personal strength use and job satisfaction in Chinese nurses: The mediating roles of basic psychological needs satisfaction and resilience

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the association of personal strength use with job satisfaction among Chinese nurses and to examine the mediating roles of basic psychological needs satisfaction and resilience in this association.

BACKGROUND

The topic of nurses' job satisfaction has been extensively studied worldwide because of its significant effects on nurse turnover, recruitment, and quality of care.

METHODS

A sample of 417 nurses completed a multi-section questionnaire that included established scales to measure personal strength use, basic psychological needs satisfaction, resilience, and job satisfaction.

RESULTS

The results revealed that personal strength use was positively linked to nurses' job satisfaction. Additionally, basic psychological needs satisfaction and resilience mediated the association of personal strength use with job satisfaction both independently and serially.

CONCLUSION

Personal strength use increases nurses' job satisfaction by satisfying their basic psychological needs and improving their resilience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY

Creating a culture that supports the use of personal strengths among nurses is a promising strategy that hospital managers could consider to enhance nurses' job satisfaction. Furthermore, implementing programs and interventions to improve nurses' basic psychological needs satisfaction and resilience could further boost their job satisfaction.

The association between fear of future workplace violence and depressive symptoms among nurses based on different experiences of workplace violence: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Fear of future workplace violence (FFWV) has a negative impact on individuals' health. However, no study has investigated the association between FFWV and depressive symptoms. Nurses with different experiences of workplace violence may have different levels of FFWV and differences in mental health. This study explored the association between FFWV and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses with different experiences of workplace violence.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1888 Chinese nurses from 12 tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province. The Fear of Future Violence at Work scale was used to measure FFWV. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between FFWV and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 45.9% (no aggression group: 24.3%; non-physical violence group: 46.1%; physical violence group: 63.7%), and 72.8% of nurses had high levels of fear of future workplace violence (no aggression group: 60.2%; non-physical violence group: 75.6%; physical violence group: 70.8%). Compared with low levels of FFWV, high levels of FFWV were associated with more depressive symptoms among nurses in the no aggression group (odds ratio [OR] = 3.269, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.102-9.695) and in the non-physical violence group (OR = 2.338, 95% CI: 1.385-3.945).

CONCLUSION

Nurses who had experienced physical violence had the most depressive symptoms and nurses with experience of non-physical violence had the greatest FFWV. Our findings suggested that there was a significant association between FFWV and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses in the no aggression and non-physical violence groups. Hospital administrators need to address FFWV needs when developing strategies to reduce depressive symptoms among nurses.

Strength use and workers' job burnout in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The mediating role of psychological capital

AIM

This research aimed to explore the link of strength use with job burnout and investigate the role of psychological capital in the strength use-job burnout relationship among Chinese workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DESIGN

A descriptive, cross-sectional design.

METHOD

This study was conducted from September to October 2020. A total of 351 employees working at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from five cities in China completed a series of valid and reliable instruments, namely, Strengths Use Questionnaire, Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire and Job Burnout Questionnaire. The PROCESS macro was used to test our hypotheses.

RESULTS

We found that people with higher strength use had lower job burnout compared with those with lower levels of strength use. Furthermore, resilience and hope acted as mediators of the relationship between strength use and job burnout. Moreover, resilience and hope played equally important roles in the strength use-job burnout relationship.

CONCLUSION

Resilience and hope mediate the association of strength use with job burnout in workers of Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

IMPACT

Health authorities can alleviate employees' job burnout by encouraging strength use and building their psychological capital, especially resilience and hope.

The relationship between work practice environment and work engagement among nurses: The multiple mediation of basic psychological needs and organizational commitment a cross-sectional survey

Background

Previous researchers have demonstrated that the work practice environment influences nurses' engagement; however, few studies have explored the mechanisms that explain the links between them.

Objectives

To examine whether basic psychological needs and organizational commitment mediate the relationship between the work practice environment and work engagement.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 893 nurses from 14 cities in Sichuan Province of China between November 2021 and December 2021. Data were collected online using the Chinese version of the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index, Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale, Organizational Commitment Scale, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The Pearson correlation analysis and multiple mediation model were used to analyze the data.

Results

The Pearson correlation analysis showed that work practice environment, basic psychological needs, and organizational commitment were positively associated with work engagement. The positive relationship between work practice environment and work engagement was mediated by basic psychological needs and organizational commitment [B = 0.505, SE = 0.032, 95% CI (0.442, 0.566)].

Conclusions

The study substantially contributes to the existing knowledge by revealing the mechanisms of fostering work engagement among nurses and explaining why the work practice environment influences work engagement.

Association between social support and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses with formal employment versus contract-based employment

BACKGROUND

Inequalities may exist in social and health status among nurses with different employment types. Few studies have investigated the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms among formally employed nurses compared with those in contract-based employment. This study aimed to examine the associations between social support and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses with different forms of employment.

METHODS

The present cross-sectional study was performed with 1,892 nurses from 12 tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China. The Social Support Rating Scale and the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale were used to measure social support and depressive symptoms, respectively. The association between social support and depressive symptoms among participants was explored using multiple linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 45.7%. The mean score for total social support was 40.16 (SD = 7.47), which was lower than the norms in the general Chinese population. Formally employed participants' total social support scores were statistically significantly higher than those of contract-based employees (p ≤ 0.05). After controlling for confounding factors, the multiple linear regression analysis showed that subjective support and support utilization scores were inversely associated with depressive symptoms. Objective support scores were negatively associated with depressive symptoms only among contract-employment nurses.

CONCLUSION

Chinese nurses have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms and lower social support than the Chinese general population. Compared with contract-employment nurses, formally employed nurses had higher social support. Inverse associations exist between social support and depressive symptoms among nurses with different types of employment. It is suggested that improving Chinese nurses' social support levels and reducing their depressive symptoms, especially for nurses employed through contracts, are critical.

A Model to Explore how Communal Traits Affects Stay Intent Amongst Taiwanese Nurses

Aims

This study discusses the model built to explore low levels of communal traits’ influence on nurses’ stay intent.

Background

The high turnover rate and low stay intent amongst Taiwan's nurses is a serious issue. One reason for the low stay intent is nurse-to-nurse interpersonal conflict. Surface-level difference, such as low levels of communal traits, may be an important antecedent factor. Previous studies have found that this type of conflict can frequently arise in female-to-female relationships.

Design

This was quantitative, cross-sectional research using a questionnaire survey.

Method

249 registered nurses participated in the survey, which employed convenience sampling. The data was collected from January 10th 2020 to February 10th 2020. Results/Findings: We found that nurses with low levels of communal traits become frustrated, creating psychological need thwarting and decreasing stay intention. Belonging perception appears to weaken this. In addition, autonomy and relatedness of need thwarting but not competence mediates the relationship between frustration experience and stay intent. Unlike in past studies, this was not found to be an exclusively female phenomenon.

Conclusion

Improving belonging perception may be the answer to overcoming negative outcomes caused by surface-level difference in the nursing profession. However, why surface-level difference has a negative influence remains a question that needs to be further explored. In addition, Taiwanese nursing managers in this low status and relationship-oriented nursing culture should also focus on improving frontline nurses’ confidence and self-conceptualizations.

Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Mediates the Link between Strengths Use and Teachers’ Work Engagement

Work engagement is a core indicator that reflects the quality of teachers’ occupational lives and the development of students, but few studies have explored the connection between strengths use and work engagement of teachers and the mechanisms underlying this relationship. This paper aimed to investigate how the relation of strengths use with work engagement is affected by a teacher’s satisfaction of basic psychological needs. For this purpose, 648 teachers in China completed questionnaires. The results revealed that strengths use exhibited a positive correlation with work engagement and needs satisfaction. Furthermore, autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction mediated the effect of strengths use on work engagement for teachers. The results suggest that autonomy, competence, and relatedness satisfaction serve as factors that mediate the effect of strengths use on work engagement. The significance and limitations of the study are discussed.

Nurses' strengths use and turnover intention: The roles of job crafting and self-efficacy

AIMS

Based on conservation of resources theory, the study aimed to investigate how nurses' strengths use affects their turnover intention and its potential mechanisms and boundary conditions.

DESIGN

The study adopted a time-lagged research design.

METHODS

The study was conducted from October 2019 to January 2020, with a sample of 234 registered nurses in a tertiary hospital in Beijing, China. The study used bootstrapping to test the hypotheses.

RESULTS

Strengths use had a significant negative effect on turnover intention, and job crafting completely mediated the relationship between strengths use and turnover intention. Furthermore, self-efficacy positively moderated the direct relationship between strengths use and job crafting and the indirect relationship between strengths use and turnover intention via job crafting.

CONCLUSION

The study is the first to examine the relationships among nurses' strengths use and turnover intention, demonstrating that the activation and accumulation of work resources through job crafting can effectively reduce nurses' turnover intention. Additionally, by emphasizing the moderating effect of self-efficacy, the study contributes to finding a way for hospitals to enhance the effectiveness of nurses' strengths use in terms of increased job crafting and reduced turnover intention.

IMPACT

Nurse managers should help nurses identify their strengths to improve their strengths use, provide nurses with more freedom to craft their jobs and take actions to build nurses' self-efficacy and positive expectations about their jobs.

Gratitude and depressive symptoms in Chinese nurses: A longitudinal cross-lagged study

Nurses have a relatively higher rate of depressive symptoms compared to other people. Previous studies have reported that gratitude is correlated with depressive symptoms among healthcare workers. The purpose of this study was to explore the causal relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses. We collected data over 4 months, with 393 nurses at Time 1 and 241 at Time 2. All participants completed online questionnaires. We employed the structural equation models to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that gratitude at Time 1 could predict depressive symptoms at Time 2, and depressive symptoms at Time 1 could predict gratitude at Time 2. These results remained significant after controlling for gender, age, education, marital status, professional title, general positive affect, and negative affect. The findings provide initial evidence about the causal relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses. Hospital administrators can intervene in depressive symptoms of nurses by developing gratitude interventions. Furthermore, nurses with lower levels of depressive symptoms feel more grateful.