The role of psychological factors on improving work engagement among nurses

Abstract

Background: Work engagement is affected by many psychological variables including emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, and resilience that are not well-studied among nurses. Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of emotional intelligence on the work engagement of critical care nurses, and the mediating role of resilience and psychological empowerment. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted in this study among 150 critical care nurses at one university hospital in Saudi Arabia. Independent t-test and correlational analysis were used to assess relationships between study variables. A multi-step regression model was used to assess the mediatory effect. Results: The results showed that a statistically significant positive association exists between each of the study variables (p < 0.01). The regression model showed that higher resilience (p < 0.001) and psychological empowerment (p < 0.001) predicted higher work engagement. The model predicted 33.3% of the changes in work engagement scores among critical care nurses. Conclusion: To enhance work performance and quality of care rendered at critical care units, higher emphasis should be placed on emotional intelligence and other significant psychological variables.