Work Engagement in the Association Between Emotional Intelligence and Intent to Stay Among Registered Nurses in Riyadh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Research on nurse retention in Saudi Arabia has focused mainly on turnover intention, and little is known about how emotional intelligence and work engagement relate to nurses’ intent to stay. This study examined these associations among registered nurses in Riyadh, including the indirect association involving work engagement. Methods: A cross-sectional survey used convenience sampling to recruit 299 registered nurses from two tertiary referral hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Emotional intelligence, work engagement, and intent to stay were measured using the WLEIS, UWES-9, and McCain’s Intent to Stay Scale. Hierarchical regression and bootstrapping indirect-association model (5000 samples) were used, adjusting for sociodemographic and work-related characteristics. Results: Emotional intelligence, work engagement, and intent to stay were moderately and positively correlated (r = 0.43–0.48). After adjustment, work engagement (β = 0.38) and emotional intelligence (β = 0.24) remained independently associated with intent to stay (both p < 0.001), and the final model explained 34.3% of the variance in intent to stay. The total association between emotional intelligence and intent to stay was B = 0.365, of which the statistical indirect association involving work engagement was B = 0.148 (95% bootstrap CI [0.090, 0.226]). Conclusions: Emotional intelligence and work engagement were each associated with greater intent to stay in this convenience sample. Because the data are cross-sectional and drawn from two Riyadh hospitals, these associations do not establish causality or temporal ordering.