J Nurs Acad Soc.  1995 Dec;25(4):790-806.

The Effect of Job Characteristics and Personal Factors on Work Stress, Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention

• Lee SM

Abstract

The present study examined the causal relationships among nurses' job environment/job characteristics (work overload, lack of autonomy, pro fessional role conflict, interpersonal relationships), maturity, job stress, job satisfaction and turnover intention by constructing and testing a theoretial framework. Based on Katz and Kahn's (1978) theory of organizational open system and Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, and Snoek's(1964) theory of stress, nurses' turnover intention, job satisfaction and job stress were conceived of as outcomes of the interplay between personal characteristics and work environment. Personal aspects associated with outcome variables included professional knowlege and skill, and maturity (challenge, commitment, control, responsibility). The work environment factors involved work overload, lack of autonomy, professional role conflict, and interpersonal relationships (social support). Three university hospitals located in Seoul were selected to participate. The total sample of 443 registered nurses represents a response rate of 96 percent. Linear structural relationships(LISREL) technique was used to test the fit of the proposed conceptual model to the data and to examine the causal relationships among variables. The result showed that both the proposed model and the modified model fit the data excellently, revealing considerable explanational power for job stress and job satisfaction. The explanatory power of turnover intention was relatively lower than those of stress and satisfaction. In predicting nurses' stress, satisfaction and turnover intention, the findings of this study clearly demonstrated that professional role conflict might be the most important variable of the all the environmental variables and personal characteristics. The results were discussed, including directions for the future research and practical implications drawn from the research were suggested.

MeSH Terms

Hospitals, University
Humans
Intention*
Job Satisfaction*
Professional Autonomy
Professional Role
Seoul
Wolves