Psychological distress, work environment quality, and motivation levels among nurses working in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: A favorable clinical environment and nurse motivation are both essential for achieving high-quality patient outcomes and organizational performance in healthcare systems, which can be highly distressing for nurses. The purpose of this study was thus to determine the associations among and influences of psychological distress, work environment quality, and motivation on one another.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study conducted with a total sample of 204 nurses in two public tertiary hospitals. We used an online survey to collect nurses' responses, which comprised the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-6, Brief Nurses' Practice Environment Scale, and Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale. We ran the necessary statistical analyses in SPSS version 28.

Results: We found that nurses' psychological distress, work environment quality, and motivation were moderate. A significant, positive, and moderate relationship existed between psychological distress and work environment quality, while nurses' educational level was statistically different with their motivation level. In the regression, only the nationality, current position, and work environment variables significantly influenced psychological distress. The hospital type also significantly influenced work environment quality. No variable was found to influence nurses' motivation level, though.

Conclusions: We concluded that nurses' work environment quality and motivation are interconnected with the psychological stress they experience at work. Monitoring nurses' work environment quality, motivation levels, and psychological distress is thus vital to ensure better patient care.

Keywords: Motivation levels; Nurses; Psychological distress; Work environment.