The interplay between home and job demands, resources, and the intention to stay in nursing: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

Concerns about the global nursing shortage highlight that, while increasing graduates is considered as essential, addressing retention issues is equally critical to mitigate the shortage effectively. Nurses frequently struggle to harmonize family life with their demanding profession in this predominantly female field. Finding a balance between home and job demands and resources may be crucial for staying in the profession.

Objective

We aimed to obtain a better understanding of the relationships among home and job demands (parenthood, working hours, work pressure), personal resources (experience, need for autonomy, self-efficacy), contextual resources (work-life balance), and the intention to stay in the nursing profession. More specifically, we investigated how work-life balance, as a contextual resource mediated the complex interplay among home and job demands, personal resources, and the intention to stay.

Design

We adopted a cross-sectional survey methodology.

Setting(s)

We focused on nursing professionals employed in healthcare institutions, encompassing hospitals, elderly care facilities, and home care institutions in the Netherlands.

Participants

Survey respondents included 616 bedside nurses with either patient care responsibilities alone or combined with managerial responsibilities.

Methods

We distributed a survey among nursing professionals in 2021. Path modeling was conducted using Mplus version 8.0.

Results

The comprehensive model revealed that parenthood and the fulfilment of the need for autonomy were associated with increased energy levels, while the need for autonomy was associated with lower work pressure and higher intention to stay. Work pressure was negatively associated with work-life balance, whereas a satisfactory work-life balance was positively associated with the intention to stay. Energy was directly related to intention to stay, as well as indirectly through work-life balance. Work experience was negatively associated with the intention to stay. Controlling for gender, nurses identifying as female or non-binary experienced lower energy compared to their male counterparts.

Conclusion

Work-life balance and the need for autonomy were positively associated with the intention to stay. Energy was positively associated with work-life balance and the intention to stay. Working experience was negatively associated with the intention to stay in the profession, suggesting that more experienced nurses may may see more alternatives after leaving the bedside profession.

Tweetable abstract

Nurses may stay when they feel energized and experience more work-life balance. More autonomy is encouraging, whereas high work pressure discourages them. Let's support nursing needs. #Nursing