Job control, work-family balance and nurses' intention to leave their profession and organization: A comparative cross-sectional survey.
BACKGROUND
The shortage of nurses is a problem in many countries. In Japan, the distribution of nurses across different care settings is uneven: the shortage of nurses in home healthcare and nursing homes is more serious than in hospitals. Earlier research has identified numerous factors affecting nurses' intention to leave work (e.g., job control, family-related variables, work-family conflict); however, these factors' levels and effect size may vary between nurses in hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes.


OBJECTIVE
This study measured job control, family-related variables, and work-family conflict among nurses in hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes, and compared these variables' levels and effect size on nurses' intention to leave their organization or profession between these care settings.


METHODS
The research design was cross-sectional.


METHODS
Participating nurses from hospitals, home healthcare facilities, and nursing homes self-administered an anonymous questionnaire survey; nurses were recruited from the Kyushu district of Japan. Nurses from nine hospitals, 86 home healthcare offices, and 107 nursing homes participated. We measured nurses' intention to leave nursing or their organization, perceived job control, family variables and work-family conflict. We analyzed 1461 participants (response rate: 81.7%).


RESULTS
The level of job control, family variables, and work-family conflict affecting nurses varied between hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes; additionally, these variables' effect on nurses' intention to leave their organization or profession varied between these care settings. Work-family conflict, family variables, and job control most strongly predicted nurses' intention to leave their organization or profession in hospitals, home healthcare, and nursing homes, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventions aiming to increase nurse retention should distinguish between care settings. Regarding hospitals, reducing nurses' work-family conflict will increase nurse retention. Regarding home healthcare, allowing nurses to fulfill family responsibilities will increase nurse retention. Regarding nursing home nurses, increasing nurses' job control will increase nurse retention.
Faculty of Nursing, Kwassui Women's University, 2-1246-3 Kubara Omura, Nagasaki, 856-0835 Japan. Electronic address: y-yoshiko@kwassui.ac.jp.
Yoshiko
Y
Yamaguchi
Faculty of Nursing, Kwassui Women's University, 2-1246-3 Kubara Omura, Nagasaki, 856-0835 Japan. Electronic address: t-inoue@kwassui.ac.jp.
Takahiro
T
Inoue
Faculty of Nursing, Ube Frontier University, 2-1-1 Bunkyoudai, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-0805 Japan. Electronic address: hirokohd@med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
Hiroko
H
Harada
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyusyu University, Address: 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, 812-8582 Japan. Electronic address: miyako-o@med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
Miyako
M
Oike
D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D064691:Nurses, Community Health / Q000523:psychology; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000072358:Work-Life Balance; D000078329:Workforce
Family variables; Home healthcare nurses; Hospital nurses; Intention to leave organization; Intention to leave profession; Job control; Nursing home nurses; Work-family conflict