Job satisfaction among intensive care nurses from the People's Republic of China

Abstract

Prior research has suggested that job satisfaction is a major concern for both nurses and healthcare administrators. A variety of workplace stressors, coping strategies and demographic characteristics have been found to contribute both positively and negatively to job satisfaction. However, most of this research has been conducted in Western culture countries, leaving one to wonder if the findings are relevant in China, particularly in regard to intensive care nurses. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive study was to determine, in intensive care nurses from the People's Republic of China, which combination of workplace stressors, coping strategies and demographic characteristics was the best predictor of job satisfaction. To address these purposes, four self-report questionnaires were administered to a convenience sample of 102 intensive care nurses from four teaching hospitals located in two cities in central China. The best predictors of job satisfaction were workload, years of experience in nursing, uncertainty about patients' treatment, behavioural disengagement and positive reframing. The findings provide information about what factors need to be considered and addressed in the workplace to facilitate job satisfaction among Chinese intensive care nurses.