Do nurses’ career competencies act as mediators and predictors between job resources and work engagement in the job demands-resources theory? A cross-sectional study

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Do nurses’ career competencies act as mediators and predictors between job resources and work engagement in the job demands-resources theory? A cross-sectional study

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3240886/v1

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Background: Since nurses have various career options, it is essential for them to possess career competencies which are the knowledge, skills, and abilities for their career self-management. Nurses’ roles have expanded globally due to dynamically changing healthcare settings and advanced specialization fields. In this context, career competencies may help nurses to navigate their careers successfully. However, few studies have investigated the association between career competencies and positive work-related outcomes for nurses. Our study aimed to examine whether nurses’ career competencies act as mediators and predictors between job resources and work engagement in the motivational processes of the job demand-resources theory. We explored whether career competencies and four types of job resources (supervisor support, coworker support, role clarity, and career opportunities) are mutually related and lead to work engagement.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and August 2022. Mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling with data from 263 nurses working in hospitals in the Tohoku region of Japan.

Results: Career competencies mediated the relationship between the four types of job resources and work engagement. Furthermore, career competencies enhanced work engagement through increased supervisor support and career opportunities.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that career competencies are a critical personal resource for enhancing work engagement in the motivational process of the job demand-resources theory. We trust that our insights will contribute to effective nursing management and continuing education.

career competencies

job resources

work engagement

motivational process

job demands-resources theory

nursing

Since nurses are permitted various career options, the successful management of their career is vital for continued professional development and the practice of quality nursing care. Nurses’ roles have expanded globally due to dynamically changing healthcare settings. In several countries, advanced nursing roles in primary care have improved access to healthcare in physician-shortage areas, reduced healthcare costs, and enhanced the quality of nursing care and patient satisfaction [1]. Furthermore, advanced nursing roles are required, not only in the clinical context but also in a wide range of other fields such as community care, nursing education, professional leadership, and research [2]. To enable more nurses to develop advanced practice skills, graduate education in nursing has expanded over the past few decades and nursing career options have become versatile [3]. Furthermore, employment situations vary, and nurses are able to change workplaces or specialization fields [3]. Given such a wide variety of career options, nurses should acquire the capabilities required to navigate their careers successfully.

Career studies have shown that career competencies are essential to career self-management. Career competencies are defined as the knowledge, skills, and abilities central to career development, which can be influenced and developed by the individual [4]. These competencies are useful for all employees to develop their own careers in the changing labor market, regardless of occupation [4, 5]. They comprise three dimensions: reflective, communicative, and behavioral career competencies. Reflective career competencies create an awareness of one’s long-term career and combine personal reflections with professional careers [4]. Communicative career competencies pertain to effective communication with significant others to improve career success [4]. Behavioral career competencies focus on proactively shaping one’s career [4]. Previous studies have described career competencies relevant to individuals’ work-related abilities (e.g. employability, job crafting, career sustainability) and well-being (e.g. work engagement, satisfaction, work-home enrichment) [6–15]. Furthermore, career competencies not only allow individuals to enhance their career self-management, but also allows organizations, occupations, and industries to adapt to dynamically changing environments [16, 17]. Therefore, career competencies are resources that serve individuals in managing their careers or developing their skills/abilities, thereby enhancing organizational and industrial competencies.

However, few studies have investigated the association between career competencies and positive work-related outcomes in the nursing context. Such scientific findings could enrich nurses’ careers and enhance their professional competencies. To address this issue, we focused on the motivational processes of the job demands-resources theory (JD-R theory) to investigate whether career competencies play a role in enhancing work engagement, which is a typical positive psychological outcome of work in the nursing context. Work engagement is defined as “a positive and fulfilling work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption” [18]. Previous studies have shown that career competencies act as mediators and predictors of job resources and work engagement based on the motivational processes of JD-R theory [12]. This theory enables us to predict employee engagement and burnout in any occupation, although the nature of job resources and demands may vary by occupation [19]. If career competencies are also useful in the nursing context, we will replicate such findings from previous studies.

Our study aimed to examine whether career competencies in the nursing context act as mediators and predictors of job resources and work engagement based on the motivational processes of the JD-R theory. This study makes two major contributions to the literature. It is the first study to test hypotheses regarding career competencies among nurses. These findings will contribute to the career literature in nursing management. Second, this study provides evidence that career competencies can enhance employees’ work engagement beyond national and occupational boundaries.

The JD-R theory

The JD-R theory has been used as a framework in many prior studies on work engagement. It consists of the fundamental proposition that all job characteristics can be classified into one of two categories: job demands or job resources [19]. Job demands are the physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of a job that require sustained physical and/or psychological effort [20]. Job resources refer to the physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of a job that are functional in achieving work goals or stimulating personal growth, learning, and development [21]. They are assumed to play a motivational role because they foster employee growth, learning, and development [22]. Furthermore, JD-R theory explains that personal resources play a motivational role as well as job resources. Personal resources are positive self-evaluations linked to resiliency and refer to individuals’ sense of their ability to successfully control and impact their environment [23].

We tested our hypotheses using the motivational process of the JD-R theory as a framework. This explains why jobs and personal resources are mutually related, leading to increased work engagement [22, 24, 25]. Specifically, we tested a two-way mechanism in which job and personal resources served as antecedent and mediating variables leading to work engagement. Previous studies have described these mechanisms in detail. Xanthopoulou et al.’s [25, 26] study with 45 Dutch restaurant employees found that job resources enhanced work engagement via personal resources. The mechanism by which personal resources enhance work engagement via job resources was demonstrated in a cross-sectional study of 224 school principals in Italy [27] and in a cross-sectional survey of 228 workers in Spain [28]. From these findings, it has been theorized that job and personal resources are mutually related, and that these two mechanisms are supported by scientific evidence [22].

Career competencies as personal resources

We hypothesized that career competencies are part of nurses’ personal resources. Previous studies have shown that career competencies act as personal resources since they are related to communicating closely with others and adjusting well to the environment, which are essential for career fulfillment and help individuals grow and achieve their goals [4, 7, 12, 15]. Akkermans et al. [12] examined the role of career competencies in JD-R theory and demonstrated that career competencies act as mediators and predictors of job resources and work engagement. The results suggest that useful job resources in the work environment promote the development of career competencies and lead to higher levels of work engagement [12]. Furthermore, higher levels of career competencies enable workers to perceive job resources in their work environments, leading to higher levels of work engagement [12]. These two mechanisms should be demonstrated in our study.

The study hypotheses

We hypothesized that career competencies are positively related to work engagement. We assumed that career competencies are the knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors necessary to achieve long-term personal career goals [4, 5], which can be adapted to the nursing context. Nurses are responsible for maintaining up-to-date knowledge and skills through lifelong learning [29]. Career competencies are useful for nurses to accomplish their long- term goals and fulfill their nursing responsibilities. Consequently, motivation for the job is facilitated, and the following hypotheses are plausible:

Hypothesis 1

Career competencies are positively related to work engagement.

We hypothesized that the following four types of job resources are beneficial to nursing careers: (a) supervisor support, (b) coworker support, (c) role clarity, and (d) career opportunities. Previous studies have shown that these factors are related to career advancement and positive job outcomes in nursing. Communicating well with supervisors and colleagues is useful for securing their support and leads to career advancement [30, 31]. Role clarity refers to the existence and availability of clear and precise information about the roles, responsibilities, and procedures to be followed and the expected behavior of nursing staff [32]. Since it is positively associated with job satisfaction, empowering leadership, and the perception of mastery [33, 34], it serves as a job resource in the nursing context. Career opportunities refer to the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills through job tasks [35]. Providing bedside care is considered important to career advancement for nurses as a lifelong learning experience for the acquisition of knowledge and skills [31, 32]. These job resources could be positively associated with career competencies because they aid careers and professional development.

Hypothesis 2

Career competencies are positively related to four types of job resources: (a) supervisor support (b) coworker support (c) role clarity and (d) career opportunities.

Based on the motivational process of the JD-R theory and previous research, we assumed that career competencies play a mediating role between the four types of job resources and work engagement in the nursing context. These four types of job resources in the nursing work environment may enhance work engagement by fostering the development of career competencies. Thus, we tested the following hypothesis:

Hypothesis 3

Career competencies mediate the four types of job resources (a. supervisor support, b. coworker support, c. role clarity and d. career opportunities) and work engagement.

We further assumed that career competencies lead to work engagement by enabling nurses to access job resources. With high levels of career competencies, nurses may communicate well with supervisors and coworkers and thus elicit their support. Similarly, high career competencies of nurses may promote perceptions of their roles and responsibilities and the opportunities they have to refine their knowledge and skills from job tasks, which may lead to work engagement. Hence, we tested the following hypothesis:

Hypothesis 4

Career competencies lead to work engagement via four types of job resources: (a) supervisor support (b) coworker support (c) role clarity and (d) career opportunities.

Study design

This study tested the hypotheses based on the JD-R theory using a cross-sectional survey.

Sample and procedures

The study population comprised nurses working in hospitals in the Tohoku region of Japan (89, 301). For mediation analysis we used a simple mediation model with bootstrap method. The minimum sample size varied depending on the indirect effect size. For large effect sizes, the range is 40-60; for medium effect sizes, 80-90; and 560 for small effect sizes, with an average range of 227-237 [36]. Hence, the required sample size for our study was 237 nurses. We requested participation from 80 hospitals randomly selected from a list of hospitals with more than 100 beds in the Tohoku region.

Licensed registered nurses, public health nurses, and midwives were included and licensed practical nurses excluded because their career paths are limited compared to those of licensed registered nurses.

Data collection

A web survey was conducted between July and August 2022 with 19 participating hospitals (consent rate: 23.8%). Fifty copies of the survey with QR codes were mailed to each hospital; thus, 950 copies were distributed to participants. A total of 272 nurses responded to the survey. Excluding two licensed practical nurses who met the exclusion criteria and seven blank or incomplete questionnaires, ultimately 263 nurses were included in the analysis (response rate: 28.6%, effective response rate: 96.7%). Table 1 presents the participant characteristics.

[Table 1 near here.]

Measures

Nurse information form

This form included nine questions to elicit descriptive and demographic information about the participants including age, gender, health profession, professional experience (years), title, licenses for advanced practice, education level, marital status, and parental status.

Career competencies

Career competencies were assessed using the Japanese version of the Career Competencies Questionnaire (CCQ-J) translated and validated by Yamada et al. [37]. The original scale [4] consists of six first-order factors, each loaded onto three second-order factors; however, Yamada et al. found that the three-factor structure is more appropriate for Japanese nurses [37]. Hence, we analyzed career competencies as a three-factor instrument. This scale includes 21 items reflecting three underlying career competencies: reflective career competencies (seven items), communicative career competencies (seven items), and behavioral career competencies (seven items) [37]. The Cronbach’s α for the CCQ-J in the previous study was 0.94, with the coefficient for each subscale ranging from 0.85 to 0.92 [37]. All items were rated on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree) and evaluated using the total score on each subscale. The total score on the scale ranged from 21 to 105. Higher scores indicated higher career competencies.

Job resources

Four types of job resources were assessed using a subscale of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire [35]: supervisor support (3 items), coworker support (3 items), role clarity (3 items), and career opportunity (3 items). This scale assesses an extensive set of job demands, resources, and outcomes and subscales can be selected depending on the survey purpose. Therefore, we used the four types of job resources mentioned in previous studies as having an impact on nurses’ career development. Items relating to supervisor or coworker support such as being easy to talk to, dependable, and available for consultation were rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from "1: Not at all" to "4: Extremely." All items on role clarity and career opportunities were rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from "1 (disagree)” to “4 (agree).” A score of 1–4 was assigned to each option for a total scale score of 1–12. Cronbach's α for supervisor support, coworker support, role clarity, and career opportunities in the previous study were 0.81, 0.78, 0.65, and 0.85 [35].

Work engagement

Work engagement was measured using a nine-item translated and validated Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-J) [38]. The original scale [18] has a three-factor structure including “vigor,” “dedication,” and “absorption,” but Shimazu et al. found that the one-factor structure is more suitable for Japanese employees [18,38]. Therefore, we analyzed work engagement as a one-factor instrument comprising nine items rated on a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 6 (always). The responses were evaluated using a total score ranging from 0 to 54. The higher the score, the more actively the participants are involved in their work. Cronbach’s α for the UWES-J was 0.92 in the previous study [38].

Data analysis

Before testing the hypotheses, we conducted a preliminary analysis in two steps. First, the mean and standard deviation of each latent variable were calculated to confirm the distribution. Second, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to examine correlations among the latent variables. The following criteria were adopted to interpret the correlation coefficients: a weak correlation was indicated by values ≥ 0.1 and < 0.4; a moderate correlation by values ≥ 0.4 and < 0.7; and a strong correlation by values ≥ 0.7 and < 0.9 [39].

To test this hypothesis, we conducted mediation analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM). First, we tested four models in which four types of job resources (a) supervisor support, (b) coworker support, (c) role clarity, and (d) career opportunities influence work engagement via career competencies. Second, we tested four models in which career competencies influenced work engagement via the aforementioned four types of job resources. In mediation analysis, which includes multiple independent variables, highly correlated independent variables may cancel each other's effects on the dependent variable [40]. Hence, we checked for correlations between the four types of job resources. If correlations were found, a mediation analysis was conducted on each independent variable in a separate model. To eliminate the effects of confounding variables, three independent variables were included in the model: professional experience (years), title, and license for advanced practice. Bootstrapping was used to test whether the total, direct, and indirect effect estimates for each model were significant. We extracted 2,000 new samples using bootstrapping, and 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. If the standardized indirect effect estimates were significant, we checked whether the fully or partially mediated model fit the data better. We examined the chi-square value (CMIN), comparative fit index (CFI), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), Akaike information criterion (AIC), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) as fit indices [41]. We determined an acceptable fit for CFIs greater than 0.90 and RMSEA less than 0.08 [41]. We evaluated models with lower AIC and BIC values as more suitable than those with higher values [41]. We performed statistical analyses using SPSS version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and AMOS version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Table 2 shows the means, standard deviations, Cronbach’s α, and inter-correlations of the study variables. Weak-to-moderately significant correlations were found among the four job resource variables, ranging from 0.30 to 0.64. Thus, we conducted a mediation analysis using a separate model for each of the four job–resource variables.

Table 3 presents the results of the mediation analyses using SEM in which career competencies were a mediator between the four types of job resources and work engagement. Table 4 presents the results of the four types of job resources as mediators between career competencies and work engagement. Table 5 shows the results of the standardized total, direct, and indirect effects of the four types of job resources and career competencies on work engagement using bootstrapping for each model.

Mediation analyses

Career competencies as a mediator

Model 1 examined the influence of supervisor support on work engagement via career competencies. We found positive relationships between supervisor support and career competencies (β=.34, p<.001), career competencies and work engagement (β =.71, p <.001), and between supervisor support and work engagement (β=.17, p<.001). The standardized total effect of supervisor support on work engagement was significant (β=.41, 95% CI [.29, .52]), the standardized direct effect was significant (β=.17, 95%CI [.06, .27]) as was the standardized indirect effect (β=.24, 95%CI [.14, .34]). These partially mediated models showed acceptable fit (CMIN=266.557, p<.001, CFI=.959, RMSEA=.067, AIC=362.557, BIC=534.020).

Model 2 showed the influence of coworker support on work engagement via career competencies. We found positive relationships between coworker support and career competencies (β=.32, p<.001) and between career competencies and work engagement (β=.76, p<.001). The association between coworker support and work engagement was not significant (β=.04, p=.39). The standardized total and indirect effects of coworker support on work engagement were significant (β=.29, 95%CI [.15, .41] and β=.25, 95%CI [.13, .35], respectively). The standardized direct effect was not significant (β=.04, 95%CI [-.07, .15]). These fully mediated models showed acceptable fit (CMIN=265.387, p<.001, CFI=.959, RMSEA=.066, AIC=359.387, BIC=527.278).

Model 3 demonstrated the influence of role clarity on work engagement via career competencies. We found positive relationships between role clarity and career competencies (β=.66, p<.001) and between career competencies and work engagement (β=.75, p<.001). The association between role clarity and work engagement was not significant (β=.02, p=.79). The standardized total and indirect effects of role clarity on work engagement were significant (β=.52, 95%CI [.37, .64] and β=.50, 95%CI [.36, .68], respectively). The standardized direct effect was not significant (β=.02, 95%CI [-.20, .22]). These fully mediated models showed acceptable fit (CMIN=275.524, p<.001, CFI=.954, RMSEA=.068, AIC=369.524, BIC=537.416).

Model 4 demonstrated the influence of career opportunities on work engagement via career competencies. We found positive relationships between career opportunities and career competencies (β=.61, p<.001), career competencies and work engagement (β=.64, p<.001), and career opportunities and work engagement (β=.19, p<.01). The standardized total effect of career opportunities on work engagement was significant (β=.58, 95%CI [.46, .68]). The standardized direct effect was significant (β=.19, 95%CI [.01, .35]), as was the standardized indirect effect (β=.39, 95%CI [.29, .51]). These partially mediated models showed acceptable fit (CMIN=282.523, p<.001, CFI=.954, RMSEA=.070, AIC=378.523, BIC=549.986).

Career competencies as a predictor

Model 5 demonstrates the influence of career competencies on work engagement via supervisor support. We found positive relationships between career competencies and supervisor support (β=.40, p<.001), supervisor support and work engagement (β =.17, p =.001), and between career competencies and work engagement (β=.69, p<.001). The standardized total effect of career competencies on work engagement was significant (β=.76, 95%CI [.68, .82]). The standardized direct effect was significant (β=.69, 95%CI [.59, .78]), as was the standardized indirect effect (β=.07, 95%CI [.02, .12]). These partially mediated models showed acceptable fit (CMIN=314.344, p<.001, CFI=.945, RMSEA=.077, AIC=410.344, BIC=581.807).

Model 6 shows the influence of career competencies on work engagement via coworker support. We found positive relationships between career competencies and coworker support (β=.38, p<.001) and between career competencies and work engagement (β=.74, p<.001). The association between coworker support and work engagement was not significant (β=.04, p=.41) and the standardized indirect effect was not significant (β=.02, 95% CI [-.03, .06]).

Model 7 demonstrated the influence of career competencies on work engagement via role clarity. We found positive relationships between career competencies and role clarity (β=.72, p<.001), and between career competencies and work engagement (β=.74, p<.001). The association between role clarity and work engagement was not significant (β=.03, p=.73) and the standardized indirect effect was not significant (β=.02, 95%CI [-.15, .17]).

Model 8 illustrates the influence of career competencies on work engagement through career opportunities. We found positive relationships between career competencies and career opportunities (β=.68, p<.001), career opportunities and work engagement (β=.21, p<.01), and career competencies and work engagement (β=.61, p<.001). The standardized total effect of career competencies on work engagement was significant (β=.75, 95%CI [.67, .82]). The standardized direct effect was significant (β=.61, 95%CI [.46, .75]), as was the standardized indirect effect (β=.14, 95%CI [.02, .26]). These partially mediated models showed acceptable fit (CMNI=325.583, p<.001, CFI=.942, RMSEA=.079, AIC=421.583, BIC=593.046).

Based on JD-R theory, this study examined whether career competencies act as mediators and predictors of job resources and work engagement among Japanese nurses. The results show that career competencies act as mediators between the four types of job resources and work engagement. Career competencies enhance work engagement through supervisor support and career opportunities. In the following sections, we discuss the role of career competencies in the motivational process of the JD-R theory, its contribution to the literature, and its implications for practice.

The role of career competencies in the motivational process of the JD-R theory

Career competencies as mediators

We found positive relationships between career competencies and work engagement, and career competencies and the four types of job resources in all models. Thus, Hypotheses 1 and 2a-d were supported. Our results show that career competencies mediate the relationship between the four types of job resources and work engagement. Hence, Hypothesis 3a-d were supported. In other words, a nursing work environment that provides support from supervisors and coworkers, role clarity, and career opportunities enables enhanced career competencies and, consequently, work engagement. These findings support previous research that career competencies act as personal resources in the motivational process of the JD-R theory [12]. Since we found that Japanese nurses' career competencies play a role as personal resources, our finding provides reliable evidence that the role of career competencies in the JD-R theory across national and occupational boundaries.

Moreover, in the nursing context, career competencies fully mediated the relationship between two types of job resources (coworker support and role clarity) and work engagement. This result supports the conservation of resources theory principle that resources do not exist individually [42]. Hobfoll argued that resources tend to be the consequence of nurturance and learned adaptation [42]. Our results suggest that nurses who learn from coworker support and roles clearly enhance their career competencies and work engagement. In other words, not all job resources directly affect work engagement, but when combined with personal resources such as career competency, do enhance work engagement. Therefore, we suggest that increasing career competencies from job resources is key to enhancing work engagement, and that career competencies play an important mediating role in the motivational process.

Career competencies as predictors

Another interesting result is that career competencies may act as predictors of two types of job resources (supervisor support and career opportunities), thereby enhancing work engagement. Our results reveal that supervisor support and career opportunities partially mediate the relationship between career competencies and work engagement. Thus, Hypotheses 4a and 4d were supported. This finding indicates that nurses with higher levels of career competencies perceive supervisor support and career opportunities as good, which may result in greater work engagement. However, coworker support and role clarity did not mediate the relationship between career competencies and work engagement; thus, Hypotheses 4b and 4c were not supported. The results suggest that even if nurses with high levels of career competencies perceive high coworker support and role clarity, this does not necessarily lead to work engagement. We found that not all utilized resources will enhance work engagement, thus highlighting the need for further examination of the mechanisms by which nurses' job resources and career competencies affect work engagement. To expand the nursing literature, future research could examine the relationship between nurses' career competencies and many job resources and whether these relationships enhance work engagement.

Interestingly, our results show that supervisor support mediates the relationship between career competencies and work engagement, but coworkers do not act as mediators. This is probably because the nursing manager is key to assisting nurses in their careers and are extremely influential in providing nurses with important opportunities such as promotions and transfers. Several studies have shown that supervisor support is a vital resource for nurses [43, 44]. A study by Mukaihata et al. (2020) on Japanese psychiatric nurses showed that supervisor support was significantly positively associated with work engagement, with an interaction effect of higher support from supervisors leading to higher work engagement in situations of poor patient attitudes toward nurses, but no such effect for coworkers support [44]. Thus, supervisor support is more effective than support from colleagues in increasing work engagement.

This study showed that career opportunities mediate the relationship between career competencies and work engagement. Nurses who utilize career competencies may have a greater perception of career opportunities, which may increase their work engagement. Growth and development opportunities is a key job demand for nurses [43]. Several previous studies have reported that nurses find it difficult to make time for growth and development because of shift work, heavy workloads, and poor staffing levels [29, 45–47]. Our result show that career competencies could serve as resources to successfully address this difficulty. Therefore, career competencies facilitate nurses’ ongoing professional development while learning on the job. Future research should examine this relationship.

Contribution to the literature and implications for practice

This is the first study in the nursing context to describe how career competencies act as personal resources in the motivational process of JD-R theory. We showed that career competencies are key to enhancing work engagement and that if nursing managers monitor career competencies, job resources, and work engagement, they can create more engaged work environments for staff nurses. Furthermore, our study found that career competencies fully mediated the relationship between two types of job resources (coworker support and clear roles) and work engagement. This provides evidence that career competencies play an important role in linking job resources and work engagement, thus contributing to the literature on occupational psychology.

Limitations

The present study had several limitations. First, cross-sectional studies cannot completely eliminate the confounding effects of factors not considered. Future research should use a longitudinal design that accounts for the temporal effects between independent and dependent variables, allowing for a clearer understanding of the causal direction of work resources, career competencies, and work engagement.

Second, our study involved nurses working in medium to large hospitals in Japan, but excluded nurses working in non-hospital settings, thus our results cannot be generalized to all nurses. Future research should examine whether career competencies and job resources enhance work engagement among nurses working in nonhospital settings. Despite the study limitations, we have shown that career competencies can be used in continuing professional development to enhance work engagement while mutually related to job resources in the nursing context.

Based on the motivational process of JD-R theory, we investigated whether career competencies act as mediators and predictors of job resources and work engagement. Mediation analyses revealed that career competencies mediated the relationship between the four types of job resources and work engagement. Furthermore, career competencies enhanced work engagement through increased supervisor support and career opportunities. These findings indicate that career competencies are a critical personal resource for enhancing work engagement in the motivational process of the JD-R theory. We hope that our findings contribute valuable insights to nursing management and continuing education.

JD-R theory

Job Demands-Resource theory

CCQ-J

Japanese version of the Career Competencies Questionnaire

UWES-J

Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale

SEM

Structural equation modeling

CMIN

Chi-square value

CFI

Comparative fix index

RMSEA

Root mean square error of approximation

AIC

Akaike's information criterion

BIC

Bayesian information criterion

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical guidelines for medical and health research involving human participants in Japan and the Declaration of Helsinki. This study was approved by the Ethics Board of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine (approval number: 2022-1-149). Written informed consent was obtained from nursing directors prior to the survey. We explained the purpose and content of the study in writing to the nursing directors of each facility, who were asked not to pressure the nurses to participate. When the nurses were requested to respond, we explained the purpose of the study, that their participation was voluntary, and that their responses would remain confidential. Answering the web survey was interpreted as consent to participate in the study. All questionnaires were anonymous.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.
Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but can be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Funding

This work was supported by JST, the establishment of university fellowships toward the creation of science technology innovation, grant number JPMJFS2102, and the Japan Academy of Nursing Science Research Grants for Challenging Topics.

Authors' contributions

MY and KA contributed to the study design; MY, NT, and SS collected the data; MY, KA, and NT analyzed the data; MY, KA, NT, and SS wrote the final report and manuscript. All the authors have read and approved the submitted manuscript.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the clinical nurses who participated in this study and the nursing directors for their strong support in sample collection. We thank Editage (www. editage. com) for English language editing.

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Table 1. Participants' characteristics (N=263)
Characteristics	n	%
Gender
Female	238	90.5
Male	25	9.5
Age
mean ± SD^a	40.5±9.9
range	22–66
Health professionals
Nurse	253	96.2
Public health nurses	2	0.8
Midwife	8	3
Professional experience (years)
mean ± SD^a	18.1±9.9
range	1–44
Education
High school	55	20.9
Associate degree	156	59.3
Bachelor's degree	43	16.3
Master's degree	5	1.9
Others	4	1.5
Licensed for advanced practice
Yes	79	30.0
No	184	70.0
Engaged in nursing management
Yes	37	14.1
No	226	85.9
Marital status
married	182	69.2
unmarried	78	29.7
others	3	1.1
Have children(s)
Yes	158	60.1
No	105	39.9
^a Standard deviation

Table 2. Correlations between study variables, means, standard deviations, and Cronbach's α (N=263).
	mean	SD	１	２	３	４	５	６	Cronbach's α
1 Professional experience (years)	18.07	9.89
2 Career competencies	65.80	13.10	.32***						.94
3 Work engagement	23.74	10.21	.31***	.71***					.95
4 Supervisor support	7.68	2.19	.04	.32***	.39***				.89
5 Coworker support	8.16	1.97	-.02	.28***	.28***	.64***			.87
6 Role clarity	9.17	1.65	.13*	.54***	.48***	.37***	.30***		.74
7 Career opportunity	8.27	1.95	.11	.54***	.55***	.40***	.38***	.62***	.84
p<.05, p<.01, **p<.001

Table 3. The effects of four types of job resources on work engagement via career competencies
	consequent
	career competencies			work engagement
Antecedent	coefficient	SE^a	p	coefficient	SE^a	p
Model 1
supervisor support	0.34	0.36	<.001	0.17	0.08	<.001
career competencies	ー	ー	ー	0.71	0.02	<.001
professional experience (years)	0.26	0.03	<.001	0.07	0.01	0.18
title	0.11	0.72	0.69	0.01	0.15	0.89
licenses for advanced practice	0.23	0.52	<.001	-0.09	0.11	0.05
	R²=0.29			R²=0.63
Model 2
coworker support	0.32	0.39	<.001	0.04	0.09	0.39
career competencies	ー	ー	ー	0.76	0.02	＜.001
professional experience (years)	0.29	0.03	<.001	0.06	0.01	0.25
title	0.07	0.73	0.23	-0.01	0.15	0.85
licenses for advanced practice	0.25	0.52	<.001	-0.09	0.12	0.05
	R²＝0.29			R²＝0.61
Model 3
role clarity	0.66	0.70	<.001	0.02	0.21	0.79
career competencies	ー	ー	ー	0.75	0.03	＜.001
professional experience (years)	0.24	0.02	<.001	0.06	0.01	0.28
title	-0.02	0.63	0.78	-0.01	0.15	0.85
licenses for advanced practice	0.23	0.46	<.001	-0.09	0.12	0.07
	R²＝0.57			R²＝0.59
Model 4
career opportunity	0.61	0.42	＜.001	0.19	0.13	0.01
career competencies	ー	ー	ー	0.64	0.02	＜.001
professional experience (years)	0.21	0.02	＜.001	0.08	0.01	0.12
title	0.06	0.62	0.25	0.00	0.15	0.93
licenses for advanced practice	0.27	0.45	＜.001	-0.06	0.12	0.26
	R²＝0.52			R²＝0.61
^a SE standard error

Table 4. The effects of career competencies on work engagement via four types of job resources
	consequent
	four types of job resources			work engagement
Antecedent	coefficient	SE^a	p	coefficient	SE^a	p
Model 5: via supervisor support
career competencies	0.40	0.01	<.001	0.69	0.02	<.001
supervisor support	－	－	－	0.17	0.09	0.001
professional experience (years)	-0.06	0.00	0.35	0.10	0.01	0.03
title	-0.09	0.12	0.18	0.02	0.15	0.67
licenses for advanced practice	-0.03	0.09	0.67	-0.06	0.11	0.17
	R²=0.17			R²=0.61
Model 6: via coworker support
career competencies	0.38	0.01	<.001	0.74	0.02	<.001
coworker support	－	－	－	0.04	0.11	0.41
professional experience (years)	-0.15	0.00	0.03	0.10	0.01	0.05
title	0.04	0.10	0.54	0.00	0.15	0.94
licenses for advanced practice	-0.09	0.07	0.14	-0.06	0.11	0.18
	R²=0.18			R²=0.59
Model 7: via role clarity
career competencies	0.72	0.01	<.001	0.74	0.03	<.001
role clarity	－	－	－	0.03	0.24	0.73
professional experience (years)	-0.10	0.00	0.10	0.10	0.01	0.06
title	0.16	0.08	0.01	0.00	0.16	0.99
licenses for advanced practice	-0.11	0.06	0.06	-0.06	0.11	0.20
	R²=0.56			R²=0.59
Model 8: via career opportunity
career competencies	0.68	0.01	<.001	0.61	0.02	<.001
career opportunity	－	－	－	0.21	0.16	0.01
professional experience (years)	-0.06	0.00	0.32	0.11	0.01	0.03
title	0.01	0.08	0.93	0.01	0.15	0.91
licenses for advanced practice	-0.18	0.06	<.001	-0.03	0.11	0.59
	R²=0.50			R²=0.60
^a SE standard error

Table 5. Total, direct, and indirect effect of each mediation analysis models
	Standardized total effect				Standardized direct effect				Standardized indirect effect
			95% BC CI^b				95% BC CI^b				95% BC CI^b
Hypothesis models	Estimate	SE^a	Lower	Upper	Estimate	SE^a	Lower	Upper	Estimate	SE^a	Lower	Upper
Four types of job resources → work engagement
via career competencies
Model 1	0.41	0.06	0.29	0.52	0.17	0.05	0.06	0.27	0.24	0.05	0.14	0.34
Model 2	0.29	0.07	0.15	0.41	0.04	0.06	-0.07	0.15	0.25	0.06	0.13	0.35
Model 3	0.52	0.07	0.37	0.64	0.02	0.11	-0.20	0.22	0.50	0.08	0.36	0.68
Model 4	0.58	0.06	0.46	0.68	0.19	0.08	0.01	0.35	0.39	0.06	0.29	0.51
Career competencies → work engagement
via four types of job resources
Model 5: via supervisor support	0.76	0.04	0.68	0.82	0.69	0.05	0.59	0.78	0.07	0.02	0.02	0.12
Model 6: via coworker support	0.76	0.04	0.67	0.82	0.74	0.04	0.65	0.82	0.02	0.02	-0.03	0.06
Model 7: via role clarity	0.76	0.04	0.67	0.82	0.74	0.09	0.55	0.92	0.02	0.08	-0.15	0.17
Model 8: via career opportunity	0.75	0.04	0.67	0.82	0.61	0.08	0.46	0.75	0.14	0.06	0.02	0.26
Note. All models adjusting for professional experience (years), title, and licenses for advanced practice.
^a SE, standard error; ^b BC CI, bias-corrected confidence intervals for mediation effects based on 2,000 bootstrap samples.

No competing interests reported.

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Do nurses’ career competencies act as mediators and predictors between job resources and work engagement in the job demands-resources theory? A cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Background

The JD-R theory

Career competencies as personal resources

The study hypotheses

Methods

Results

Discussion

The role of career competencies in the motivational process of the JD-R theory

Career competencies as mediators

Career competencies as predictors

Contribution to the literature and implications for practice

Limitations

Conclusions

Abbreviations

Declarations

References

Tables

Additional Declarations

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