Associations of regrets and coping strategies with job satisfaction and turnover intention: international prospective cohort study of novice healthcare professionals

Boris Cheval,Stphane Cullati,Ralph E Schmidt,Delphine S Courvoisier,Denis Mongin,Kim Lauper,Pierre Chopard,Jesper Pihl-Thingvad

doi:10.4414/smw.2019.20074

Abstract

(1) To assess the associations of care-related regrets with job satisfaction and turnover intention; and (2) to examine whether these associations are partially mediated by coping strategies. Data came from ICARUS, a prospective international cohort study of novice healthcare professionals working in acute care hospitals and clinics from various countries (e.g., Australia, Austria, Botswana, Canada, Denmark, France, Haiti, Ireland, Kenya, the United Kingdom and United States). Care-related regrets (number of regrets and regret intensity), coping strategies, job satisfaction and turnover intention were assessed weekly for 1 year. 229 young healthcare professionals (2387 observations) were included in the analysis. For a given week, experiencing a larger number of care-related regrets was associated with decreased job satisfaction, and experiencing more intense care-related regrets was associated with increased turnover intention. These associations were partially mediated by coping strategies. Maladaptive emotion-focused strategies were associated with decreased job satisfaction and increased turnover intention, whereas adaptive problem-focused strategies showed the opposite pattern. Our results revealed that care-related regrets and maladaptive coping strategies are associated with job dissatisfaction and the intention to quit patient care. Helping healthcare professionals to cope with these emotional experiences seems essential to prevent early job quitting. &nbsp.

Highlights

Physical and psychological health problems are common among healthcare professionals
Our results revealed that care-related regrets and maladaptive coping strategies are associated with job dissatisfaction and the intention to quit patient care
On the first measurement occasion, job satisfaction, turnover intention, care-related experiences, and coping strategies did not differ between professions

Summary

Introduction

Physical and psychological health problems are common among healthcare professionals. In view of the negative impact on healthcare professionals’ own health [10], quality of patient care [11] and the sustainability of the healthcare system [12], a better understanding of the factors that influence the retention of healthcare professionals is warranted. In this context, low job satisfaction and turnover intention are of particular interest because they are early warning signs of job quitting [13]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion