The influence of spiritual leadership on the subjective well-being of Chinese registered nurses

Abstract

Background: Challenging working conditions and job characteristics can result in nurses experiencing significant workplace stress and adversity.

Aim: To examine how and why spiritual leadership may have a positive influence on nurses' subjective well-being.

Method: A total of 339 registered nurses from five public hospitals in Mainland China participated in this study. Hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro.

Results: Spiritual leadership influenced the subjective well-being indirectly through workplace spirituality. The interaction between spiritual leadership and power distance orientation on workplace spirituality was significant. Power distance orientation moderates the indirect effect of spiritual leadership on the subjective well-being through workplace spirituality, and this indirect effect is more positive for nurse with lower power distance orientation.

Conclusions: Spiritual leadership is a significant contextual factor in the workplace that may influence the nurses' workplace spirituality and subjective well-being. Based on their power distance orientation, nurses may have different responses to spiritual leadership, resulting in differing levels of workplace spirituality.

Implications for nursing management: Spirituality can satisfy the internal needs of nurses. Spiritual leadership can facilitate a spiritual working context for sustaining the subjective well-being of nurses. Hospitals should provide training programmes to help existing leaders engage in spiritual leadership.

Keywords: nurse; power distance orientation; spiritual leadership; subjective well-being; workplace spirituality.