The Effect of Metacognition on Retention Intention in New Nurses: The Double Mediation Effect of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of new nurses' metacognition on their retention intention and the dual mediating effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the relationship between those two variables. Methods: Participants included 154 new nurses with 12 months or less of clinical experience working in general hospitals in Seoul. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from September 30 to October 29, 2024 and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 29.0 and the Process Macro 4.2 program. Results: Metacognition had a positive effect on job satisfaction (B=0.60, p<.001). Job satisfaction had significant positive effects on organizational commitment (B=0.84, p<.001) and retention intention (B=1.31, p<.001), while organizational commitment had a significant positive effect on retention intention (B=0.65, p=.016). The sequential mediating effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment was confirmed within the relationship between metacognition and retention intention in new nurses (effect=0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.03-0.71). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the presence of a causal structure in which higher metacognition is associated with greater job satisfaction in new nurses; this leads them to commit to the organization, eventually increasing their retention intention.