Wellbeing among hospital nurses: a cross-sectional study of the contributions of relational job characteristics

Background: Nursing work has indisputable relational characteristics, however there is scarce research that examines nurses’ work and wellbeing using a relational job design framework. Aim: The aim is to study the relationships between job characteristics and nurses’ work-related wellbeing. More specifically, this study focuses on the unique contribution of psychological effects of relational job characteristics to nurses’ work engagement and burnout, beyond the effects of other job characteristics commonly studied in association with wellbeing, namely quantitative job demands and control. Design and participants: Cross-sectional research design, in which 409 Portuguese hospital registered nurses participated. Method: Data were collected using an online survey. Statistical procedures included structural equation modelling and multiple regression analysis. Results: Data suggest that perceived social impact and perceived social worth are related to nurses’ work engagement and burnout beyond the effects of quantitative job demands and control. Conclusions: The study of the relationships between psychological effects of relational job characteristics and work-related outcomes (such as nurse work-related wellbeing) is relevant, as these relational job design variables explain variance in these outcome variables, beyond other job design constructs (specifically job demands and control). Implications: Theoretical implications include the value of studying the impact of psychological effects of relational job characteristics on wellbeing outcomes among nurses. As for practical implications, hospitals may address relational job characteristics in order to increase their nurses’ perceptions of their job's impact and the social worth attributed to their work, which is positively related to work engagement and negatively related to burnout.