The mediating role of psychological empowerment in perceptions of decent work and work immersion among Chinese nurses: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among perceptions of decent work, psychological empowerment, and work immersion among nurses, hypothesizing that psychological empowerment mediates the relationship between perceptions of decent work and work immersion. Background: At present, there are many studies on nurses’ perceptions of decent labor and work immersion in China, but the relationship between them has not been discussed from a psychological perspective. Methods: The sample consisted of clinical nurses in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hubei, and Guangdong provinces, China, and the nurses’ general information, decent labor perception, psychological empowerment, and work immersion scores were assessed using the General Information Scale, Decent Labor Perception Scale, Psychological Empowerment Scale, and Work Immersion Scale, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. Results: The total scores of nurses’ perceptions of decent work, psychological empowerment, and work immersion were at a moderate level. The total nurse work immersion score and each dimension score were positively correlated with the total nurse decent work perception score and the total psychological empowerment score. Decent work perception and psychological empowerment directly and positively predicted work immersion; decent work perception also indirectly acted on work immersion through psychological empowerment. Conclusions and implications for nursing and health policy: Nurses’ work immersion was moderate, and this study explored the mechanisms by which perceptions of decent work affect nurses’ work immersion from a psychological perspective, validating the mediating role of psychological empowerment. This study emphasizes that nursing managers should fully understand the importance of nurses’ work immersion, continuously improve nurses’ decent labor perceptions, enhance their psychological empowerment level, improve their work immersion, and enhance the quality of nursing services.