Mediating role of lifestyle factors in the resilience–job satisfaction relationship among nurses: A descriptive correlational study

Background

Given the global nursing shortage and the increasing prevalence of workplace stressors, resilience has emerged as a crucial factor influencing job satisfaction, preventing burnout, and ensuring high-quality patient care. While previous research has established a connection between resilience and various occupational outcomes, the mediating effect of health-promoting behaviors—such as physical activity, diet, and sleep—remains largely unexplored, underscoring the need for further investigation in this area. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the effect of chosen lifestyle aspects on the connection between resilience and job satisfaction among nurses.

Methods

A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 508 active professional Polish nurses. The study utilized Polish adaptations of the following assessment tools: (1) Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, (2) Brief Resilience Coping Scale, (3) The International Physical Activity Questionnaire, (4) Athens Insomnia Scale, (5) The Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire and (6) a demographic section characterized the socio-geographical aspects of the study group. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and mediation and moderation analyses performed with Hayes' PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Results

The study identified sleep quality and social support as significant mediators in the relationship between resilience and job satisfaction. Higher resilience correlated with increased job satisfaction, with sleep quality partially mediating this effect. Social support also played a mediating effect, reinforcing the positive impact of resilience on both intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Additionally, work experience moderated the relationship between resilience and job satisfaction. The effect was strongest among early-career nurses and diminished with years of experience.

Conclusion

The study highlights the complex interplay between resilience, job satisfaction, and lifestyle factors, emphasizing the significant mediating effects of sleep quality and social support. Additionally, work experience emerged as a key moderator, with resilience having a stronger impact on job satisfaction among early-career nurses, underscoring the need for tailored interventions at different career stages. Importantly, the findings suggest that fostering resilience-related resources should not rely solely on training interventions, but also include promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors by enhancing sleep quality and strengthening social support networks.