Psychological Empowerment of Nurses Working in Pediatric Units in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: This study investigated the psychological empowerment (PE) of nurses in pediatric units and examined the significant difference between the level of PE and the personal work profiles of nurses working in pediatric units in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study design was employed between May and July 2020 using a self-administered electronic survey that collected personal work profile data and applied the Psychological Empowerment Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software for descriptive statistics, t-tests, and ANOVA. Results: Most of the study participants (69.6%) were non-Saudi nurses, and 71.9% worked in specialized areas. The mean PE score of the four dimensions across the 12 items was high. The mean score for the dimension meaning was the highest, whereas the lowest mean score was for the dimension self-determination. Nurses from different nationalities had significantly different PE levels. Conclusions: Expatriate nurses were more psychologically empowered. The findings will be of interest to all who wish to attract and retain local nurses by fostering PE in the work environment and involving nurses in decision-making processes, thus enabling them to act as leaders for increased work motivation.