The relationship between nurses' stressors and work engagement among Chinese nurses: the chain-mediating effect of career resilience and team job crafting.

BACKGROUND: Amid the ongoing shortage of nursing personnel, increasing attention has been paid to nurses' work engagement, as their role is a high-stress profession. Work engagement among nurses not only reflects their efficiency but is also closely linked to the quality of patient care. This study analyzes the unexplored relationship between nurses' stressors and work engagement, investigates the multiple mediating roles of career resilience and team job crafting and offers important insights for boosting work commitment. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling at three tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China, from July to August 2024. A total of 890 questionnaires were distributed, and 820 valid questionnaires were returned. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics questionnaire, career resilience scale, team job crafting scale, and work engagement scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and chain mediation analysis were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between nurses' stressors, career resilience, team job crafting, and work engagement (r = -0.28 ∼ 0.40, P < 0.01). Nurses' stressors exhibited a significant direct effect on work engagement (β = -0.31, Confidence Interval: -0.404 ∼-0.227). The mediation analysis revealed that nurses' stressors also influenced work engagement through three statistically significant indirect pathways, which collectively represented 46% of the total effect. They included (a) the mediating effect of career resilience (β = -0.141), (b) the mediating effect of team job crafting (β = -0.062), and (c) the chain mediating effect between career resilience and team job crafting (β = -0.025). CONCLUSION: Nurses' stressors had a direct negative effect on work engagement among nurses. Meanwhile, career resilience and team job crafting played a chain-mediating role between nurses' stressors and work engagement. Consequently, hospital administrators should focus on stress management, career resilience, and team job crafting to enhance engagement.