Mediating Effects of Professional Quality of Life in the Association of Team Job Crafting With Career Success Among Nurses: A Structural Equation Model.

BACKGROUND

Team job crafting has emerged as an important organizational resource that may enhance nurses' professional functioning. However, its potential mechanisms in shaping nurses' career success remain insufficiently understood.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the direct association between team job crafting and career success among nurses and explored the mediating roles of the three dimensions of Professional Quality of Life (ProQoL), including compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout (BO), and secondary traumatic stress (STS).

METHODS

This secondary data analysis used cross-sectional survey data collected from a tertiary hospital in Sichuan Province, China, between January and March 2024. A total of 1870 nurses were included after data-quality screening. Validated Chinese versions of the Team Job Crafting Scale for Nurses, ProQoL scale, and Career Success Scale were administered. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and structural equation modeling (SEM) with bias-corrected bootstrapping were conducted to test the hypothesized mediation model.

RESULTS

Team job crafting was positively associated with nurses' career success both directly (β = 0.113) and indirectly through two significant dimensions of ProQoL, CS and BO (total indirect effect β = 0.251, accounting for 69.0% of the total effect). Among these mediators, CS showed the strongest effect (β = 0.167; 45.9% of total effect), followed by BO (β = 0.095; 26.1% of total effect). In contrast, the mediating effect of STS was not significant (β = -0.011).

CONCLUSION

Team job crafting is an important predictor of nurses' career success, operating primarily through increased CS and reduced BO. STS, however, does not appear to mediate this relationship. These findings highlight the potential value of team-based interventions that enhance CS and reduce BO to foster nurses' career success. Supportive team environments that promote positive professional experiences and mitigate emotional strain may, therefore, contribute to nurses' long-term career development.