The Mediating Role of Career Barriers in the Relationship Between Psychological Resilience and Career Plateau Among Nurses

Intoduction Career plateau is a significant professional challenge in nursing, known to negatively affect nurses’ attitudes, work behaviors, and overall well-being. Although psychological resilience has been increasingly recognized as an important personal resource, the pathways through which it influences career plateau remain insufficiently understood. Objective This study aimed to examine whether career barriers mediate the relationship between psychological resilience and career plateau among clinical nurses. Methods A cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected between November 15, 2021, and January 25, 2022 at a university hospital in Istanbul using an online questionnaire. The sample comprised 415 nurses. Validated instruments were used, including the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), the Career Barriers in Nursing Scale (CBNS), and the Career Plateau Scale (CPS). Analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and Hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Mediation was tested using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) with bootstrapping. Results Regression analyses indicated that higher resilience predicted lower career barriers and lower career plateau. Mediation analysis revealed that career barriers partially mediated the relationship between resilience and plateau. The indirect effect, though small, was statistically significant, while the direct effect of resilience on plateau remained robust. Conclusion The findings provide new insights into how psychological resilience and career barriers interact to shape career plateau experiences among nurses. Supporting resilience may help reduce perceived career barriers and career plateau.