Vrbnjak D, Milutinović D, Spevan M, Pluta A, Jovanović Ž, Tadić D, Schwartz C, Nelson JW. Job Satisfaction as a Factor in Nursing Staff's Work Wellbeing and Retention: A Comparative Study of Central and Eastern Europe and Other Global Regions.
Worldviews Evid Based Nurs 2025;
22:e70013. [PMID:
40169353 DOI:
10.1111/wvn.70013]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2025] [Accepted: 03/04/2025] [Indexed: 04/03/2025]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Prior international collaborative studies indicated that job satisfaction, a factor of nursing work wellbeing (WWB), is closely linked to retention, with notable cross-country differences. However, limited regional comparisons, especially between Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), North America, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), restrict understanding of nurse wellbeing and retention regional impacts, limiting tailored strategy development.
AIMS
This secondary analysis study compared the effects of region on nursing WWB and job satisfaction factors in CEE, MENA, and North America, aiming to identify those CEE region-specific predictors associated with and effects on job satisfaction and, in turn, WWB.
METHODS
CEE (n = 1616), MENA (n = 1562), and North America (n = 1386) data were analyzed using descriptive and linear regression analytics (p < 0.001). The CEE sample included nursing staff from Croatian (n = 301), Polish (n = 215), Serbian (n = 489), and Slovenian (n = 611) nurses and nursing assistants. Six job satisfaction factors were examined: coworkers, patient care, participative management, autonomy, professional growth, and organizational rewards.
RESULTS
The CEE region reported statistically significant lower mean scores and negative effects across all six job satisfaction factors compared to MENA and North America. Satisfaction with coworkers had the largest effect within the CEE region when compared to MENA and North America (ϐ = -0.26), while satisfaction with participative management had the smallest regional effect (ϐ = -0.10). Findings informed operational discussions for CEE-targeted retention interventions.
LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION
Job satisfaction subscale factors facilitate the identification of empirically- and theoretically-informed operational actions to improve CEE nursing job satisfaction as an important factor of WWB and contribute to nursing retention.
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