Background
Nurses are the most critical professionals at the frontline of all healthcare systems and need to provide high-quality nursing service to improve people’s health and quality of life [1]. Since the increasing interest in employees’ performance is connected with work commitment, the concept of work engagement has been proposed [2]. Engaged nurses with high energy levels can devote themselves to caring for patients regardless of substantial workloads and focus on patient care without fearing challenges with high enthusiasm and confidence [3]. Such a high level of work engagement may lead to job satisfaction and valuable contributions to nursing performance [1, 3]. Therefore, it is crucial to identify factors affecting work engagement to improve nurses’ work engagement.
The theoretical framework systematically understands events and situations, reflecting, explaining, or predicting phenomena [4]. The extended Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model was constructed by adding personal resources and job crafting to effectively explain motivational processes such as work engagement [5]. According to the extended JD-R model, personal resources such as positive psychological capital, efficacy, hope, resiliency, and optimism enhance an individual’s physical and mental health, fortify social relationships, and impact work engagement and job performance [6, 7]. Individuals with higher levels of positive psychological capital that strengthen positive emotions frequently experience more social integration; thereby, higher levels of work engagement ultimately lead to higher job performance [8]. Despite the JD-R model and previous studies, studies examining the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement are rare.
Anzeige
Job crafting has recently received attention as a contributing factor affecting work engagement [9]. The concept of job crafting is the process by which employees redefine and reimagine their job design to make it more meaningful; it means that employees can bring about changes in their job roles that can enhance the meaningfulness of their work [10]. When performing tasks through job crafting, employees can become motivated, have enjoyable and meaningful work experiences, and be committed to working with enthusiasm [11]. According to the extended JD-R model, it is clear that a high level of positive psychological capital facilitates employee’s job crafting by actively changing the design of their job and assigning meaning to their jobs. In other words, positive psychology builds a challenging work environment for oneself and directly or indirectly positively impacts work engagement [12]. With the extended JD-R model, few nursing studies have reported that nurses with high positive psychological capital are likely to engage in their work [13], and higher job crafting showed a positive impact on work engagement [14].
Even though studies on factors affecting nurses’ work engagement in various aspects have been conducted to improve the quality of nursing service, theory-based studies still need to be conducted to understand and explain employee work engagement. According to the extended JD-R model, a positive relationship can be predicted between positive psychological capital, work engagement, and job crafting; furthermore, positive psychological capital and job crafting are predicted to enhance work engagement. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement and then provide basic data for developing various interventions to improve nurses’ work engagement.
Methods
Study design
This study is descriptive correlational research to investigate the mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement based on the extended JD-R model and literature review.
Participants and setting
The participants were conveniently sampled from three general hospitals with over 200 beds in South Korea. The inclusion criteria were full-time nurses working in general hospitals with over 200 beds. The participants were excluded from nurses with less than one year of clinical experience because novices or beginners needing more confidence to demonstrate competent practice had months of training or even years [15].
Anzeige
The Monte Carlo power analysis was used for the sample size estimation. We have selected one mediator model, the conventional power level of 0.80, a minimum sample size of 50, a maximum sample size of 150, and sample size steps of 10, and entered the value of correlations obtained from previous studies: positive psychological capital and job crafting(r = .81), job crafting with work engagement(r = .59), positive psychological capital and work engagement(r = .85) [13, 14]. Using the sample size calculation to Monte Carlo power analysis, approximately 100 participants were required to ensure statistical power is at least 90% for detecting the hypothesized indirect effect. Considering the dropout rate, the questionnaires were administered to 150 participants. The 150 copies were collected, and data from 132 questionnaires were used for the final analysis after excluding 18 copies due to many missing values.
Ethical consideration
Ethical approval was obtained by the institutional review board of an X university (IRB No: XIRB-XX1-Y-XXX8). Data collection was carried out after obtaining informed consent by explaining the purpose and contents of the study to the participants. All participants were informed that they could withdraw from the research at any time without any loss of benefits, and their participation was voluntary.
Measures
General and job-related characteristics
The participants’ general characteristics were four items of sex, age, marital status, and educational level, and the job-related characteristics consisted of four items of total clinical career, position, current working unit, and average monthly income.
Positive psychological capital
Positive psychological capital was measured by the Korean version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) developed by Luthans et al. [16], which was obtained from the Mind Garden website (https://www.mindgarden.com). This instrument consisted of 24 items with four sub-domains: self-efficacy (6-item), optimism (6-item), hope (6-item), and resilience (6-item). The response to each item was scored on a 6-point Likert scale (strongly agree = 6 points, not at all = 1 point). A higher score indicated higher positive psychological capital. The Cronbach’s α was 0.93 in this study.
Job crafting
Korean version of the Job Crafting Questionnaire(JCQ-K) developed by Slemp and Vella-Brodrick [17] and translated by Im [18] was used in this study. This instrument consisted of 15 items with three sub-domains, including task crafting (5-item), cognitive crafting (5-item), and relational crafting(5-item). The response to each item was scored on a 6-point Likert scale (very often = 6 points, Hardly ever = 1 point); higher scores indicated higher job crafting. The Cronbach’s α was 0.92 in this study.
Work engagement
Work engagement was measured by the Korean version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) developed by Schaufeli and Bakker [19] and translated by Yi et al. [20]. The instrument consisted of 17 items with three sub-domains: vigor (6-item), dedication (5-item), and absorption (6-item). The response to each item was scored on a 5-point Likert scale (always = 5 points, never = 1 point). A higher score indicated higher work engagement. The Cronbach’s α was 0.92 in this study.
Statistical analysis
The collected data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS/WIN 27.0 program and the PROCESS Macro. Normality was checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and all variables satisfied the normality assumption. First, the general characteristics and job-related characteristics of the participants were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Second, the degree of positive psychological capital, job crafting, and work engagement was analyzed by mean and standard deviation. Pearson’s correlation coefficient measured the relationships between positive psychological capital, job crafting, and work engagement. Fourth, the mediating effect of job crafting in the relationships between positive psychological capital and work engagement was analyzed by the SPSS PROCESS Macro model 4 [21], and the bootstrapping method with a 95% confidence interval was used to confirm the statistical significance of the mediating effect.
Result
General and job-related characteristics of participants
Of the participants, women accounted for the majority (99.2%), the average age was 33.95 ± 5.71 years, marital status was married (65.9%), and university graduation for educational background was 57.6%. In the case of job-related characteristics, the total clinical career averaged 9.15 ± 4.63 years, the staff nurses were 84.1%, the current working unit was surgical or medical ward 59.8%, and the average monthly income was 2 to 3 million won, accounting for 56.8% (Table 1).
Table 1
General and Job-related characteristics of participants (N = 132)
Characteristics | Categories | N(%) or M ± SD |
|---|---|---|
Gender | Women | 131(99.2) |
Men | 1(0.8) | |
Age (years) | 33.95 ± 5.71 | |
≤ 29 | 34(25.8) | |
30∼39 | 74(56.1) | |
≥ 40 | 24(18.2) | |
Marital status | Married | 87(65.9) |
Unmarried | 45(34.1) | |
Educational level | College graduation | 54(40.9) |
University graduation | 76(57.6) | |
Graduate school graduation | 2(1.50) | |
Total clinical career(year) | 9.15 ± 4.63 | |
< 5 | 20(15.2) | |
5∼10 | 57(43.2) | |
> 10 | 55(41.7) | |
Min-max | 1.3–32.0 | |
max(year) | 32.0 | |
Position | Staff nurse | 111(84.1) |
Charge nurse | 21(15.9) | |
Current working unit | Medical ward | 32(24.2) |
Surgical ward | 47(35.6) | |
Special unit | 35(26.5) | |
Others (Injection & infusion unit, Hemodialysis unit) | 18(13.6) | |
Average monthly | < 2 | 13(9.8) |
income(million won) | 2∼3 | 75(56.8) |
≥ 3 | 44(33.3) |
Degrees of positive psychological capital, job crafting, and work engagement
The positive psychological capital was 3.94 ± 0.62 (range 1 ~ 6), and the sub-domains were self-efficacy 3.66 ± 0.85, hope 4.09 ± 0.76, resiliency 4.07 ± 0.74, and optimism 3.95 ± 0.67. Job crafting scored 3.92 ± 0.70 (range 1 ~ 6), and the sub-domains were task crafting 3.81 ± 0.77, cognitive crafting 4.05 ± 0.85, and relational crafting 3.91 ± 0.85. The work engagement was 3.08 ± 0.56 (range 1 ~ 5), and the sub-domains were vigor 2.92 ± 0.59, dedication 3.41 ± 0.68, and absorption 2.95 ± 0.59 (Table 2).
Table 2
Degrees of positive psychological capital, job crafting, and work engagement
Variables | Range | Categories | M ± SD |
|---|---|---|---|
Positive psychological capital | 1–6 | Self-efficacy | 3.66 ± 0.85 |
Hope | 4.09 ± 0.76 | ||
Resiliency | 4.07 ± 0.74 | ||
Optimism | 3.95 ± 0.67 | ||
Total | 3.94 ± 0.62 | ||
Job crafting | 1–6 | Task crafting | 3.81 ± 0.77 |
Cognitive crafting | 4.05 ± 0.85 | ||
Relational crafting | 3.91 ± 0.85 | ||
Total | 3.92 ± 0.70 | ||
Work engagement | 1–5 | Vigor | 2.92 ± 0.59 |
Dedication | 3.41 ± 0.68 | ||
Absorption | 2.95 ± 0.59 | ||
Total | 3.08 ± 0.56 |
Correlations between positive psychological capital, job crafting, and work engagement
Work engagement was positively correlated with positive psychological capital (r = .68, p < .001) and job crafting (r = .73, p < .001) (Table 3).
Anzeige
Table 3
Correlations of positive psychological capital, job crafting, and work engagement
Variable | Positive psychological capital | Job crafting |
|---|---|---|
r(p) | r(p) | |
Job crafting | 0.72 (< 0.001) | |
Work engagement | 0.68 (< 0.001) | 0.73 (< 0.001) |
Mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement
Before analysis, the normality and multicollinearity were verified. The P-P plot was checked to determine the normality of the error term. The residuals were close to a 45º line, confirming normal distribution. The tolerance was 0.44 ~ 1.00, and the variance expansion factor was 1.00 ~ 2.23, indicating no multicollinearity.
As indicated in Table 4; Fig. 1, the hypothesized three direct paths and one indirect path were all significant. Specifically, positive psychological capital had a significantly positive effect on job crafting (β = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.71 to 0.95, R2 = 0.55). Job crafting positively affected work engagement (β = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.29 to 0.56, R2 = 0.58). Positive psychological capital also had a positive effect on work engagement (β = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.41). In the mediating effect analysis, the indirect effect size of job crafting on the relationships between positive psychological capital and work engagement was statistically significant (β = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.24 to 0.48).
Fig. 1
The mediating effect of job crafting on the relationships between positive psychological capital and work engagement
×
![]()
Anzeige
Table 4
The mediating effect of job crafting on the relationships between positive psychological capital and work engagement
Independent variables | Dependent variables | β | SE | t | p | LLCI | ULCI | R2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PPC(X) | JC(M) | 0.74 | 0.06 | 13.43 | < 0.001 | 0.71 | 0.95 | 0.55 |
JC(M) | WE(Y) | 0.51 | 0.06 | 3.66 | < 0.001 | 0.29 | 0.56 | 0.58 |
PPC(X) | WE(Y) | 0.29 | 0.07 | 6.48 | 0.001 | 0.12 | 0.41 | |
Indirect effect | 0.35 | 0.61 | 0.24 | 0.48 | ||||
Direct effect | 0.27 | 0.07 | 0.12 | 0.42 | ||||
Total effect | 0.63 | 0.05 | 0.52 | 0.74 | ||||
Discussion
The global shortage of nurses, which has become even more severe after COVID-19, makes it necessary to focus on exploring nurses’ work engagement [1]. A high level of work engagement leads to a strong sense of belonging to the organization with a high energy level [2, 3]. Consequently, understanding nurses’ work engagement at general hospitals becomes vital to increasing their intention to stay. Our study examined the mediating effect of job crafting in the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement among hospital nurses with an average age of 33.95 and 9.15 years of clinical career. In conclusion, job crafting played a mediating role in the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement.
The work engagement of the participants was 3.08 points (range 1 ~ 5 points), which was shown to be moderate level. Korean nurses have often reported dissatisfaction with their jobs due to unfavorable working environments, including inadequate staffing levels, a 44.5% high turnover rate for newly registered nurses, and longer working hours, which may cause a decrease in work engagement [13, 22]. The systematic reviews of U.S. and Canadian nurses’ work engagement [3] highlighted the significant contribution of supportive and positive environments, as nurses feel more engaged and empowered in their work. In the middle of the global nursing staff shortage and the growing demand from healthcare consumers, numerous evidence supports that work engagement among clinical nurses can reduce turnover intention, improve nursing performance, and positively affect patient safety [1, 3]. The meta-analysis of the effectiveness of work engagement interventions has reported a reliable positive effect on work engagement to improve nurses’ wellness and work performance [23]. To achieve a higher level of work engagement among nurses, various work engagement interventions, such as personal resource and job resource building interventions.
Our findings have demonstrated that positive psychological capital among clinical nurses significantly affects work engagement directly and through a mediating effect of job crafting. Positive psychological capital can contribute to effective work performance, such as better service, higher productivity, and more retention at work [1, 3, 13]. In other words, nurses with a higher positive psychological capital have a more positive attitude toward their job, which may manifest as work engagement or voluntary work behavior and ultimately affect nursing performance. In particular, optimism and self-efficacy constitute the positive psychological capital needed for nurses to successfully perform tasks without frustration, even during failures, which can enhance work engagement [13]. Since there is increasing evidence on the effects of positive psychological capital interventions, such as expressive writing journals on hope and resilience, various types of psychological capital interventions, such as face-to-face or online interventions, should be continuously implemented for nurses [24, 25].
Anzeige
Our study supports the hypothesis that job crafting mediates the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement among nurses, indicating that the effects of positive psychological capital on work engagement may differ according to the level of job crafting, even in those with similar positive psychological capital. These results confirm that job crafting positively affected work engagement. The present study suggests that nurses with positive attitudes toward their job and autonomy can craft their roles to suit their strengths and skills, ultimately increasing their work engagement [11]. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a job crafting program or interventions for enhancing job crafting to improve work engagement programs for nurses. For example, the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan provides useful job crafting exercise that helps employees make their jobs more fulfilling and engaging [26].
The present study is meaningful to inform job crafting exercises by the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan or psychological capital enhancement interventions such as strengths coaching programs that best assist nurses’ work engagement. Despite its significance, this study has some limitations. First, as participants in this study were recruited from three general hospitals using a convenient sampling method, it is challenging to generalize our findings to all clinical nurses. Second, as this is a cross-sectional study, the causal relationship between factors affecting work engagement among clinical nurses cannot be identified. Third, when constructing a hypothetical model to examine the mediating role of job crafting on the relationship between nurses’ positive psychological capital and work engagement, we did not include moderators of job crafting based on the JD-R model, such as autonomy and self-regulation, which may play an important role in facilitating job crafting behaviors [27].
Conclusions
Based on the extended JD-R model, this study investigated the mediating effect of job crafting between positive psychological capital and work engagement of Korean nurses in medium-sized hospitals. The findings have demonstrated that positive psychological capital and job crafting had a significant association with work engagement among hospital nurses. The presence of job crafting played a mediating role in the relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement.
Based on the results, our suggestions are as follows: first, multisite studies using randomized sampling considering hospital size (i.e., university hospitals, tertiary, and general hospitals) should be needed to enhance the internal validity. Second, nurse managers and hospital administrators should develop and verify the effects of job crafting exercises or strengths coaching-based interventions for nurses that can enhance job crafting and positive psychological capital.
Acknowledgements
None.
Declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Gyeongsang National University in South Korea (GIRB-A21-Y-0038, 19 August 2021) and was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The data collection, the purpose of the study, and the survey method were explained to the institution’s manager, and permission to conduct the study was obtained. The purpose of the study, as well as the anonymity and confidentiality of the participants, were explained before the survey was conducted. Only nurses who agreed to participate responded to the questionnaire. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
