Moderating Effects of Perceived Social Support on Self-efficacy and Psychological Well-being of Chinese Nurses: a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Nurses experience significant physical and psychological stress that negatively influences their psychological well-being. The objective of this study was to explore the association between self-efficacy and psychological well-being among Chinese nurses and to assess the moderating effects of perceived social support (PSS).

Methods: In 2020, a hospital-based cross-sectional study using a multistage random sampling approach was performed in five regions of Liaoning, China. Of the 1,200 surveyed nurses, 1,010 completed questionnaires that evaluated the demographic information, 14-item Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. To examine the factors associated with mental health parameters, hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed. The interactions were visualized using a simple slope analysis.

Results: The mean depression and anxiety scores for Chinese nurses were 8.74 ± 3.50 and 6.18 ± 3.26, respectively. The association between self-efficacy and depression differed between the low perceived social support (PSS) group (1 SD below the mean,  -0.169,  < 0.01) and high PSS group (1 SD above the mean,  -0.077,  < 0.01). Similarly, the association between self-efficacy and anxiety differed between the low PSS group (1 SD below the mean,  = -0.155,  < 0.01) and high PSS group (1 SD above the mean,  = -0.044,  < 0.01).

Conclusion: We found that Chinese nurses experienced high levels of anxiety and depression. Furthermore, PSS moderates the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being. Therefore, interventions targeting self-efficacy and PSS should be implemented to improve the psychological well-being of nurses.