Job resources, job demands, and their relationships with thriving, burnout, and work-life conflict among Swedish nursing staff

BACKGROUND: Nursing staff working in healthcare are exposed to high job demands, leading to turnover, stress, and decreased motivation. Work-life balance, empowered structures, and thriving have been shown to contribute positively to their psychosocial work environment. This study examined the relationships between job demands, job resources, and the outcomes of thriving, burnout, and work-life conflict among nursing staff. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was employed, involving 192 nursing staff within somatic in-patient care. Data were collected using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, the Thriving scale, and the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationships between job demands, job resources, and outcomes. RESULTS: Job resources, quantified as structural empowerment, showed a positive relationship with thriving and negative relationships with both burnout and work-life conflict. Among job demands, quantitative demands, emotional demands, and work pace demonstrated negative relationships with thriving and positive relationships with burnout and work-life conflict. All resources and demands remained statistically significant in multiple regression models except for emotional demands and work pace on thriving. Regarding interaction effects, structural empowerment moderated the relationship between work pace and both thriving and burnout but did not moderate the relationship with work-life conflict. The interaction between structural empowerment and emotional demands was also statistically significantly positively related to thriving. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study underscore the value of adopting strategies that enhance access to empowering job resources, through both top-down and bottom-up approaches, to improve staff well-being. Recognizing and addressing the complex relationships between job demands, resources, and staff outcomes is important for meeting the diverse needs and staffing challenges in healthcare settings.