Managerial Competency and Perceived Organizational Support in Relation to Job Stress Among Nurse Managers in the Republic of Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: This study aimed to examine the levels of nursing managerial competency, perceived organizational support, and job stress among nurse managers, and to examine the factors associated with their job stress. Methods: The participants included 133 nurse managers from seven hospitals in B Metropolitan City. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires including the Korean Occupational Stress Scale and scales measuring nursing managerial competency and perceived organizational support. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests or ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression, with participants’ general characteristics entered as covariates. Results: Mean scores were 4.16 (out of 5) for nursing managerial competency, 3.24 (out of 5) for perceived organizational support, and 2.31 (out of 4) for job stress. Job stress showed negative correlations with both nursing managerial competency (r = −0.57, p < 0.001) and perceived organizational support (r = −0.79, p < 0.001). After adjustment for general characteristics, hierarchical regression showed that both nursing managerial competency (β = −0.18, p = 0.009) and perceived organizational support (β = −0.70, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with job stress, and the model accounted for 65.6% of the variance. Conclusions: Nurse managers with higher managerial competency and organizational support perceptions reported lower job stress. Strategies to enhance nursing managerial competency and organizational support should be developed to effectively manage nurse managers’ job stress.