Psychosocial Job Characteristics and Job Strain Among Nurses in Urban Primary Healthcare Centers in Vietnam: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Psychosocial job characteristics are important components of the work environment and are closely associated with occupational health, particularly among nurses working in demanding healthcare settings. However, evidence from primary healthcare settings in low- and middle-income countries remains limited. This study aimed to describe psychosocial job characteristics and job strain among nurses in urban primary healthcare centers in Vietnam and to examine factors associated with psychosocial job characteristics and job strain. A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among 768 nurses across four district-level healthcare centers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, using a structured questionnaire including the validated Vietnamese Job Content Questionnaire. Nurses reported moderate-to-high job demands, high social support, and limited decision latitude. Most participants reported low strain (45.6%) or active jobs (42.4%), while fewer were in the high-strain (6.3%) and passive (5.7%) categories. Sociodemographic and work-related factors were significantly associated with job strain (p < 0.001). Although the prevalence of high strain was relatively low, differences between perceived job demands and specific dimensions of decision latitude were observed. These findings highlight the importance of job control, workload, and workplace support as factors associated with psychosocial job characteristics and job strain and may help inform future workplace interventions and longitudinal research.