Nurse well-being is a crucial factor in the quality of care given to patients and in patient safety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the psychological effects of relational job characteristics (PERJCs) and indicators of well-being in hospital nurses. The data for this correlational study were collected from an online survey responded to by a sample of 620 hospital nurses (335 Portuguese and 285 Brazilian). Statistical procedures included structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. A full mediation model was supported by data analysis, in which work-related well-being (i.e., engagement and burnout) explained the relationships between hospital nurses' perceived social worth and their context-free well-being. Moreover, in the Portuguese sample, the perceived social impact on client lives and the affective commitment to clients were indirectly related to the context-free well-being of nurses, through work engagement. Practical implications are presented in order to foster the PERJCs, thus contributing to nurse well-being.
Keywords: burnout; context-free well-being; nurses; psychological effects of relational job characteristics; work engagement.
Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.