Social support, job satisfaction and mental health: multiple moderation analysis in a population-based sample of nurses

Introduction. Job satisfaction is a factor dependent on personal, organizational, and environmental conditions. Among the various tools available to professionals to increase satisfaction, forms of social support could be considered essential. Their influence can have an impact on mental health status, acting as a protective factor between mental health and job dissatisfaction. The aim was to analyze the possible moderating effect of different forms of social support between job satisfaction and different expressions of mental health in hospital nurses. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional population-based study was carried out from the 2017 National Health Survey on hospital nurses. Sociodemographic variables, level of job satisfaction, forms of social support, and expressions of mental health were collected. Statistical analysis included the usual descriptive variables and Spearman's Rho correlation. The multivariate analysis consisted of multiple moderation analyses using the SPSS PROCESS 4.0 macro. Results. 80 workers met the eligibility criteria. Significant correlations were found between job satisfaction and two forms of social support and eight expressions of mental health. Significant moderating variables were receiving visitors (for sleep problems and feeling overwhelmed and stressed) and receiving recognition for doing the job well (for feeling overwhelmed and stressed), the latter being trended. Conclusions. Receiving visits from friends and family (and possibly receiving recognition for doing the job well), moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and constantly feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Also between job satisfaction and losing a lot of sleep due to worries.