THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT ON WORK ENGAGEMENT OF NURSING INTERNS: A MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL

Abstract

This study examined how organizational support affects work engagement among nursing interns, as well as the mediating role of psychological capital in this relationship. Its goal was to provide practical guidance for clinical nursing preceptorship. A total of 375 nursing interns completed questionnaires assessing organizational support, psychological capital, and work engagement. Correlation analyses revealed that organizational support was positively associated with both work engagement (r = 0.477, p < 0.01) and psychological capital (r = 0.581, p < 0.01). Work engagement was also positively correlated with psychological capital (r = 0.752, p < 0.01). Regression results showed that organizational support significantly predicted work engagement (B = 0.450, p < 0.001). When psychological capital was added to the model, however, the direct effect of organizational support became non-significant (B = 0.057, p = 0.152), whereas its indirect effect via psychological capital remained significant (Effect = 0.393, 95% CI [0.283, 0.508]). These results support a full mediation effect. Our findings suggest that clinical nursing education programs should focus on developing interns’ psychological capital to improve their work motivation. Strategies such as psychological capital training, stress management, resilience building, and supportive feedback, empowerment, and recognition from preceptors can strengthen interns’ self-efficacy and coping abilities. In turn, these efforts help organizational support more effectively promote work engagement among nursing interns.