Heterogeneity of work engagement and its relationship with job crafting among Chinese specialty nurses: a cross-sectional study using latent profile analysis

Abstract

Background: Specialty nurses play a crucial role in improving the quality of nursing care. Enhancing the work engagement of specialty nurses is a top priority for managers. Job crafting is an effective way to increase nurses' work engagement. Identifying and classifying features of work engagement, exploring their relationship with job crafting, and tailoring interventions to support specialty nurses are imperative. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Henan Province, China from July 2023 to August 2023. The study sample consisted of 758 specialty nurses who participated in an online survey. Latent profile analysis was conducted to identify work engagement classification criteria. Multinomial logistic regression models were usedto identify the predictors of profile inclusion. Results:A four­profile model yielded the best fit. The four profiles were titled “low work engagement” (n = 210), “medium work engagement” (n = 172), “high attitude-high enthusiasm” (n = 229), and “high work engagement” (n = 147). The regression analysis indicated that gender, age, level of education, monthly income, and job crafting all had significant effects on the work profile categories (P<0.05). Conclusions: The characteristics of specialty nurses’ work engagement are heterogeneous and can be divided into four profiles. Our findings indicated that gender, education level, monthly income, and job crafting impact the varying types of work engagement exhibited by specialty nurses. We recommend that nursing managers adopt effective measures, such as flexible scheduling and improved job management, to enhance specialty nurses’ work engagement.