title: Relationship between job demands and psychological outcomes among nurses: Does skill discretion matter?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to assess both the direct and indirect effects (i.e., interacting with various job demands) of skill discretion on various psychological outcomes (i.e., emotional exhaustion, intention to leave, affective well-being, and job satisfaction).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected by a self-reported questionnaire in 3 hospitals in Italy. The sample consisted of 522 nurses. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses were employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings highlighted the direct effect of skill discretion on reducing emotional exhaustion, intention to leave, sustaining affective well-being and job satisfaction. As regards interaction effect, the analyses indicated that skill discretion moderates the negative effect of disproportionate patient expectations on all the considered psychological outcomes. On the other hand, skill discretion was found to moderate the effect of cognitive demands on turnover intention as well as the effect of quantitative demands on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction only in conditions of low job demands.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study revealed some interesting findings, suggesting that skill discretion is not a resource in the pure sense, but that it also has some characteristics of a job demand. The study has relevant practical implications. Particularly, from a job design point of view, the present study suggests that job demands and skill discretion should be balanced carefully in order to sustain job well-being and worker retention.
authors.affiliation: University of Turin, Turin, Italy (Department of Psychology). sara.viotti@unito.it.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Viotti
authors.affiliation: University of Turin, Turin, Italy (Department of Psychology). daniela.converso@unito.it.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Converso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: emotional exhaustion; intention to leave the profession; job demands; job satisfaction; skill discretion; well-being at work