Exploring Interpersonal Justice via the Job Demands-Resources Framework: A Structural Equation Model of Nurse Work Engagement and Burnout in Japan.

AIM: To examine the associations of interpersonal justice with work engagement and burnout among hospital nurses in Japan, and to test whether job satisfaction moderates these relationships. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling (SEM), grounded in job demands-resources framework. METHODS: Survey data were collected between 2016 and 2017 from 2773 nurses across 10 Japanese hospitals. Interpersonal justice was operationalized using workplace fairness and gender equality indicators. Work engagement and burnout were measured using study-specific indicators. SEM was used to test direct and moderated pathways, with theoretically justified modifications to the measurement model resulting in acceptable fit (RMSEA = 0.052; CFI = 0.987; TLI = 0.976; SRMR = 0.023). RESULTS: Interpersonal justice was independently associated with higher work engagement (β = 0.28, p < 0.001) and lower burnout (β = -0.28, p < 0.001). Job satisfaction also predicted both outcomes but did not moderate the effects of interpersonal justice. These findings suggest that fair and equal work environments support nurse well-being regardless of overall job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Interpersonal justice represents an important component of healthy work environments that may inform management interventions aimed at strengthening the nursing workforce in Japan and similar contexts. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers and healthcare leaders can help promote nurse well-being by fostering fair and equal workplace interactions through transparent decision-making, equitable workload allocation and promotion practices, inclusive leadership, and mechanisms for addressing discrimination and unfair treatment. Such efforts may support higher work engagement, lower burnout, and a more sustainable nursing workforce.