Path Analysis of Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction Among Clinical Nurse Managers: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background and aims: Clinical nurse managers play a critical bridging role between hospital administration and frontline nursing staff, yet their job satisfaction remains understudied, particularly in Chinese healthcare contexts. Existing research often examines work stress and organizational support in isolation, overlooking their interrelationships. This study aimed to investigate the current status of job stress, job satisfaction, and perceived organizational support (POS) among clinical nurse managers, and to examine the mediating role of POS in the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction using path analysis.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. A convenience sample of 192 clinical nurse managers from a tertiary Grade A hospital in Beijing completed online surveys during June-July 2024. Measures included the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), the Nurse Work Stress Source Scale, and an Organizational Support Scale. Path analysis with bootstrapping was conducted using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 21.0 to test direct, indirect, and total effects.

Results: Overall job satisfaction was moderate to high (81.42 ± 10.34). Job satisfaction was positively correlated with POS and negatively correlated with work stress. The final structural model demonstrated good fit, explaining 62% of the variance in job satisfaction. Work stress directly negatively predicted job satisfaction (β = -0.315). POS directly positively predicted job satisfaction (β = 0.545). Importantly, POS significantly mediated the stress-satisfaction relationship, indicating that higher organizational support reduces the negative impact of work stress on satisfaction.

Conclusion: Perceived organizational support directly enhances job satisfaction and partially buffers the detrimental effect of work stress among clinical nurse managers. Hospital administrators should prioritize resource allocation, developmental opportunities, and structural support-particularly for nursing team leaders and older managers-to improve job satisfaction and retention. Future research should employ longitudinal and multi‑center designs to establish causality and test context‑specific interventions.