An Explanatory Model of Job Satisfaction in Nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Job satisfaction is an attitude resulting from the cognitive and affective assessment of occupational experiences. Its positive consequences on nurses' organizational behavior are well documented in the literature. However, its dispositional determinants are still under investigation.

Objective: To examine an explanatory model of job satisfaction based on the interplay between resilience, meaningful work, age and occupational seniority.

Methods: A quantitative, correlational and explanatory research was carried out in a population of nurses from a level-3 hospital in Santa Fe, Argentina, during the second semester of 2022. A sample of 133 nurses was formed by simple random sampling. Resilience, meaningful work and job satisfaction were each measured using a Likert-type scale; while sociodemographic characteristics were measured using a structured questionnaire. Data collection was performed using an electronic form. Evidence of the internal structure, validity and reliability of the instruments was obtained. Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients were calculated. Moderated mediation was estimated by bootstrapping, using the IBM-SPSS software and the PROCESS macro.

Results: Positive correlations were found between variables (p < 0.001), as well as indirect effects of resilience on job satisfaction (β = 0.46; 95 % CI = 0.289, 0.750). The moderating role of age and occupational seniority was tested (age: β = 0.54; 95 % CI = 0.295, 0.649; seniority: β = 0.68; 95 % CI = 0.346, 0.759).

Conclusions: Meaningful work mediates the effect of resilience on job satisfaction, and such effect increases with nurses' age and occupational seniority.