Serial mediation of affective domain ability and feedback-seeking behaviour in the relationship between career adaptability and transition shock among novice nursing interns: a multicentre cross-sectional study

This study aimed to examine the relationship between career adaptability and transition shock among novice nursing interns in China, with a focus on the chain-mediating role of affective domain ability and feedback-seeking behaviour. This was a multicentre, cross-sectional survey. Between June and September 2024, we employed a multistage stratified cluster sampling approach to recruit 1,461 novice nursing interns from nine higher education institutions in Hubei Province. Data on demographic characteristics, the Transition Shock Scale, the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, the Revised Affective Domain Ability Scale, and the Feedback-Seeking Behaviour Scale were collected using standardised instruments. Descriptive analysis, Pearson’s correlation tests, and a structural equation model were constructed in AMOS to analyse the chain-mediated roles of affective domain ability and feedback-seeking behaviour in the relationship between career adaptability and transition shock. Transition shock had a significant negative correlation with career adaptability, affective domain ability, and feedback-seeking behaviour (all p<0.05). Career adaptability exerted both direct and indirect effects on transition shock, with the total indirect effect representing 44.55% of the total effect. This indirect effect operates through three pathways: the sole mediating role of affective domain ability, the sole mediating role of feedback-seeking behaviour, and the chain mediating role formed by both together, explaining 15.27%, 21.09%, and 8.18% of the total effect, respectively. The findings validate a resource-gain spiral underpinned by the Conservation of Resource theory, revealing a chain mediating role whereby career adaptability influences transition shock through affective domain ability and feedback-seeking behaviour. This provides theoretical grounding and empirical support for optimising nursing talent development and alleviating novice nurses’ transitional stress within China’s hierarchically structured clinical environment.