Psychosocial work environment and intention to leave the nursing profession: Results from the longitudinal Chinese NEXT study

Aims: A shortage of nurses happens not only in developed countries, but also in developing countries, such as in China, but the nurse turnover here makes the situation worse. Why do Chinese nurses want to leave the nursing profession? Our hypothesis is that unfavourable psychosocial work environment could predict nurses’ intention to leave (ITL). Methods: Collaborating with the EU NEXT study (Nurses’ Early eXit sTudy), the longitudinal study was conducted in China, and the psychosocial work environment was measured with the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). A total of 3,088 registered female nurses working in hospitals were eligible for the baseline analyses by multivariate logistic regression, and 1,521 for the one-year follow-up analyses by multivariate Poisson regression. Results: A wide range of psychosocial factors at work — in particular, increased emotional demands, decreased meaning of work, decreased commitment to the workplace, and decreased job satisfaction — were associated with ITL in both baseline analyses and prospective analyses after adjusting for numerous confounders. Conclusions: The findings suggest that unfavourable psychosocial work environment predicts ITL in Chinese nurses. Improvements in the psychosocial work environment may be helpful in retention of the nursing workforce.