Job demands, social support, work satisfaction and psychological well-being among nurses in Spain

Background: Nursing has been described as a stressful occupation, with nursing staff reporting high levels of job dissatisfaction, job burnout and poor well-being in many countries. This research examined the relationship of job demands (work-family interference, emotional demands and work overload) and three sources of social support (supervisor. co-worker and spouse/partner, family and friends) with nurse well-being and work/organizational outcomes. Method: Data were collected from 2104 nurses in Spain using anonymously completed questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to evaluate nurse wellbeing and organizational outcomes according to personal demographics, work situation characteristics, job demands, and social support. Results: Results showed that job demands had generally significant and negative relationships with nurse well-being as well as with several work/organizational outcomes. In addition, lack of social support, particularly from supervisors and co-workers, were associated with deteriorated nurse wellbeing and more unfavorable work/organizational outcomes. Implications: This research replicates and extends previous findings obtained in various countries, including Spain. Given consistent findings across countries, the importance of both individual -and organizational- level interventions to improve nursing quality of work life is highlighted. Examples areas of effective interventions are illustrated and discussion of potential future interventions is offered.