Moderating Effect of Demographic Characteristics on the Relationship between Work Life Quality and Turnover Intention: A Cross-Sectional Study

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the moderating effect of demographic variables (sex, age, marital status, years of experience, level of education, and income) on the relationship between quality of work life and turnover intention in Malaysian nurses. METHOD: A descriptive, and cross-sectional design using Brook's quality of nursing work life questionnaire (self-reported) and Porter's anticipated turnover scale was implemented to collect data from 430 randomly selected Malaysian nurses in a teaching hospital's medical, surgical, and special units. The data were analyzed using the structural equation model smart partial least squares and Statistical Package for Social Sciences software services. RESULTS: The nurses had a moderate level of quality of work life and high level of turnover intention. Sex, number of children, and work wards/units had a moderating effect on turnover intention, after its interaction with quality of work life (p<.05). CONCLUSION: The study findings highlighted the factors having a moderating effect on turnover intention after its interaction with quality of work life. This knowledge is beneficial for providing guidance to nursing leaders or healthcare departments in hospitals to improve nurses' quality of work life and decrease their turnover intention. Addressing and understanding the demands and needs of nurses in the work environment and the family structure within a quality of work life could affect nurse's retention, leading to a decrease in their turnover intention.