Sociodemographic determinants of structural empowerment and organisational commitment among critical care nurses in Saudi Arabia: a comparative cross-sectional study

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Background/Aims Improving retention of critical care nurses requires a better understanding of the perceptions and attitudes of this staff group towards structural empowerment and organisational commitment. This study aimed to assess the relationships between structural empowerment, organisational commitment and sociodemographic factors among critical care nurses. Methods The study used a descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational research design. A convenience sample of 198 critical care nurses working in Saudi Arabia responded to a questionnaire, comprising the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, the Three-Component Commitment Model and a sociodemographic survey. Descriptive statistics and correlational analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25, with a P value equal to or less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Structural empowerment was significantly associated with organisational commitment. Employment in a private healthcare organisation, non-Saudi Arabian nationality, greater length of experience in nursing, more time spent in current working unit and average weekly working hours were significantly associated with higher organisational commitment and structural empowerment. Respondents in the higher salary bracket (over 15000 Saudi riyals per month) had significantly lower levels of organisational commitment and structural empowerment. Conclusions Structural empowerment is a key predictor of organisational commitment and must be considered by managers and leaders seeking to improve retention. Further exploration of how factors such as nationality, salary and experience on empowerment and commitment is needed, so that policies can be developed accordingly.