Understanding the professional quality of life in nursing: evaluating risks and protective factors

Professional quality of life (ProQOL) is a clinically relevant aspect of nursing staff’s well-being, as it influences workforce retention, work engagement, and the quality and continuity of patient care. It comprises both positive experiences, such as Compassion Satisfaction, and adverse outcomes, including Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress. This study examined professional quality of life among nursing staff working across different levels of healthcare and explored sociodemographic, occupational, and organisational factors associated with individual ProQOL dimensions. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 736 nursing staff employed in outpatient services, hospital wards, and high-intensity clinical settings, including emergency departments, intensive care units, and operating and delivery units. Data were collected using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) and a structured questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics and work-related conditions. Group differences were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons. Spearman’s rank correlations were limited to con-tinuous and ordinal variables, and multicategory predictors were coded using indicator variables in the regression models. Compassion Satisfaction was comparable across settings in the unadjusted analysis, whereas Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress differed significantly. In the adjusted models, the overall clinical-setting test was significant for Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress but not for Compassion Satisfaction; the nonsignificant overall test remained the primary inference. Several organisational and work-related characteristics remained associated with individual ProQOL dimensions. Between-setting differences were attenuated after adjustment for measured organisational and occupational characteristics. Because of the cross-sectional design, the findings represent asso-ciations rather than causal effects.