Personal enactment as an antidote to depressed mood’s effect on nurses’ work passion

Purpose Because of the nature of nurses’ daily jobs, their work passion is critical for their quality performance and well-being. However, more research must examine the antecedents of nurses' work passion. Against this backdrop, in the present study, we draw on the conservation of resources (COR) theory to hypothesize that the negative relationship between nurses’ depressed mood at work and work passion is moderated by their enactment such that a relatively high level of personal enactment weakens the negative effect of depressed mood at work on their work passion. Design/methodology/approach We examine our hypothesis using a three-wave time-lagged design involving 147 nurses (RN or LPN) working at a medium-sized healthcare facility in the rural Southern USA. Findings Results support our hypothesis that nurses’ personal enactment moderates the relationship between their depressed mood at work and work passion. Research limitations/implications Nurses' depressed mood at work can be less harmful to their work passion, particularly when they demonstrate a relatively higher level of personal enactment. Originality/value This study demonstrates that personal enactment attenuates the adverse effects of depressed mood at work when nurses possess elevated work passion levels.