Title : Challenge-hindrance stressors and novice nurses’ safety behavior: The mediating role of regulatory focus and the moderating role of workplace spirituality
Abstract:
Aims: This study aims to investigate the impact of challenge-hindrance stressors on novice nurses’ safety behavior, the mediating effect of regulatory focus and the moderating effect of workplace spirituality.
Background: The relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and novice nurses’ safety behavior has rarely been investigated, despite the global concern for patient safety in healthcare systems. Previous research suggests that regulatory focus and workplace spirituality matters for nurse safety behavior, but the relationship between them remain unclear.
Methods: An on-site cross-sectional survey. The STROBE guidelines were followed to report this study. Stratified sampling was used to recruit participants, and 471 novice nurses completed the Nurse Safety Behaviour Questionnaire, the Challenge-Hindrance Stressors Scale, the Regulatory Focus Scale and the Workplace Spirituality Scale between January 2024 and May 2024. SPSS 24.0 and SPSS PROCESS 3.5 macros was used to test research hypotheses.
Results: Challenge stressors could positively affect novice nurses' safety behavior and promotion focus could mediate this relationship; Hindrance stressors could negatively affect novice nurses' safety behavior and prevention focus could mask some of the relationship. Workplace spirituality could positively moderate the relationship between challenge stressors and novice nurses' safety behavior.
Conclusion: Challenge-hindrance stressors have a double-edged sword effect on novice nurses’ safety behaviors. Regulatory focus and workplace spirituality play significant roles in the relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and novice nurses’ safety behavior.
Impact: Nursing Managers should rationalize work schedules based on the characteristics of novice nurses, leverage challenge stressors to boost novice nurses' safety behaviors and enhance their intrinsic motivation through developing regulatory focus. Additionally, managers should highlight workplace spirituality's importance in coping with work stress. This approach can effectively improve safety behaviors and ensure patient safety.
Patient or Public Contribution: Patients and the public were not involved in the design and implementation of this study. Clinical novice nurses completed an questionnaire for this study.
Audience Take Away:
- This study provides a theoretical basis for nursing administrators to take measures to improve nurses' safety behaviors and enhance the quality of healthcare services.
- This study confirms that while hindrance stressors negatively affect novice nurses' safety behavior, challenge stressors have a positive impact. Managers can improve novice nurses' safety behavior by implementing strategies that increase challenge stressors and decrease hindrance stressors.
- Most previous interventions aimed at improving nurse safety behavior have focused on knowledge and skills training for novice nurses. This study confirms the mediating role of regulatory focus highlights the significance of psychological motivation. In particular, prevention focus counteracts some of the negative effects of hindrance stressors on nurse safety behavior. It suggests that managers should also focus on psychological motivation of novice nurses to enhance their intrinsic drive for safety behaviors by stimulating and developing their regulatory focus.
- The moderating effects of workplace spirituality provide a framework for designing interventions. Enhancing the workplace spirituality climate can provide psychological resources for novice nurses, thereby maximizing their safety behaviors.
