Antecedents and Occupational Attitudinal Consequences of Meaningful Work During the COVID-19: An Investigation of Chinese Nurses

Given the high turnover rate of the nursing occupation, meaningful work may be the very reason why many nurses choose to stay in health care. However, it remains uncertain whether nurses' meaningful work and the sources that contribute to meaningful work still well predict nurses' occupational attitudes during the COVID-19. To answer these questions, applying the job demands-resources model as our overarching framework, this study examines the mediating role of meaningful work between its sources (i.e., autonomy support, and prosocial impact) and nurses' occupational attitudes (i.e., occupational regret, and occupational turnover intention) during the COVID-19, with event strength as a moderator. A time-lagged design was adopted to collect survey data from 958 full-time Chinese nurses at three time points. The results show that during the COVID-19, perceived autonomy support and perceived social impact are still sources of nurses' meaningful work and further affect their occupational attitudes, while the latter contributes more to meaningful work. The perceived event strength of the COVID-19 restrains the positive effect of meaningful work on nurses' occupational attitudes. The findings of this study contribute to occupational attitude literature by revealing its antecedents and influencing factors in times of crisis. Meaningful Work and its Sources: Sustaining Nurses' Commitment During the COVID-19This large-sample survey study conducted during the COVID-19 found that nurses' perceived social impact and perceived autonomy support contribute to their meaningful work and further reduce their occupational regret and occupational turnover intention. In addition, the perceived event strength of the COVID-19 was found to undermine the association between meaningful work and nurses' occupational regret. Theoretically, findings of this study may draw research attention to the lack of understanding of the antecedents and occupational attitudinal consequences of meaningful work in times of crisis. Practical implications are provided to enhance nurses' intention to remain in the nursing profession.