Influencing Factors and Potential Mechanisms of Promoting Postpartum Nurses’ Work Engagement: A Mixed‐Methods Study Based on Conservation of Resources Theory
Keqin Liu, Yang Yang, Suya Li, Qing Yang, Sisi Cai, Mingfeng Yu, Yu LiuBackground
Returning to work after childbirth represents a critical career transition for nurses, often accompanied by competing role demands and psychological challenges. Work engagement is essential for nurses’ wellbeing and workforce sustainability, yet its underlying associations during the postpartum return‐to‐work period remain poorly understood.
Objective
To examine nurses’ work engagement upon returning to work after childbirth and to assess the possible mediating role of self‐efficacy in the association between perceived social support and work engagement.
Methods
An exploratory sequential mixed‐methods design was employed. This study process consisted of three steps: (i) semistructured interviews with 23 nurses, based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes and subthemes; (ii) appropriate selection of scales according to the COR theory, qualitative results, and relevant literature; and (iii) a cross‐sectional study to explore the factors and pathways of work engagement of postpartum returning nurses. Finally, a joint display was used to integrate the qualitative and quantitative findings.
Results
The qualitative interviews generated three domains that were identified as major influencing factors, including social support, self‐efficacy, and work engagement. Quantitative findings showed that work engagement among nurses returning to work after childbirth was at a moderate level. Regression analysis identified that social support and self‐efficacy were positively associated with work engagement, and self‐efficacy partially mediated the relationship between social support and engagement.
Conclusions
This study explained the interaction association and pathway of work engagement on the dual resources of postpartum returning nurses. This study also provides an in‐depth analysis of influencing factors. Social support appears to be associated with work engagement indirectly, through its role in fostering self‐efficacy, highlighting the importance of supportive and responsive return‐to‐work environments. These findings underscore the need for nursing management strategies that attend to both the emotional and developmental aspects of nurses’ re‐engagement after childbirth.
Implication for Nursing Management
Nursing managers should regard postpartum return to work as a transitional process requiring both organizational support and psychological resource reconstruction. Supportive return‐to‐work pathways, flexible scheduling, mentoring, and constructive feedback could be considered as potential strategies.