An Analysis of Mental Health, Subjective Well-Being, and Self-Efficacy Among Nurses in the Qassim Health Cluster: Identification of Risk Levels.

Abstract

Introduction: Nurses are the cornerstone of the healthcare system, playing a vital role in delivering consistent, high-quality patient care. However, working in high-stress environments such as hospitals and health clusters exposes them to ongoing well-being, emotional, and psychological challenges. If unaddressed, these factors can significantly compromise their mental health, subjective well-being, and self-efficacy, ultimately affecting workforce sustainability and patient outcomes.

Aim: To assess the mental health, subjective well-being, and self-efficacy of the nursing workforce within the Qassim Health Cluster and identify individuals or groups at elevated risk.

Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 306 nursing staff, recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected via a standardized electronic survey administered between January to March 2025 across three hospitals in Buraydah city. The survey included the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) to assess mental health, the WHO-5 Well-Being Index to measure subjective well-being, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) to evaluate perceived self-efficacy.

Results: The majority of participants were female, middle-aged, and holding a bachelor's degree and varying levels of work experience. Overall, nurses demonstrated moderate to high levels of mental health (65.26%), self-efficacy (58.64%), and subjective well-being (69.95%). Mean scores were 45.68 (±17.26) for mental health (MHC-SF), 30.98 (±5.70) for self-efficacy (GSE), and 14.66 (±6.17) for well-being (WHO-5). Significant positive correlations were observed among all variables: mental health was strongly correlated with self-efficacy (r = 0.671) and moderately with well-being (r = 0.510); well-being was also moderately correlated with self-efficacy (r = 0.427).

Conclusion: Nurses' mental health, self-efficacy, and well-being are interrelated and critically impact the quality of patient care. Healthcare organizations should implement targeted interventions, particularly training and stress management programs to support the psychological and subjective health of nurses, with a focus on less experienced staff.