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. OBJECTIVES 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. DESIGN 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.
International journal of nursing studies