The Mediating Role of Work Engagement Between Artificial Intelligence Anxiety and Task Performance Among Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Correlational Study

Background/Objectives: As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be integrated in healthcare settings, it enters clinical work as a support and a source of stress. Although AI anxiety acts as a psychological barrier to consistent engagement with AI technology, evidence on its relationships with nursing outcomes such as work engagement and task performance remains limited. This study examined the associations between AI anxiety, work engagement, and task performance among nurses using the challenge–hindrance stressor framework, considering work engagement as a hypothesized mediator. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional correlational design was used. In December 2025, 106 nurses across various hospital units in Saudi Arabia were recruited through a non-probability strategy combining purposive, convenience, and snowball techniques. Participants completed the Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale, the 3-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, and the task performance subscale of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations and PROCESS-based mediation analysis (Model 4), with 5000 bootstrap resamples and 95% percentile confidence intervals. Results: Work engagement statistically mediated the cross-sectional association between AI anxiety and task performance; the indirect effect was significant, whereas the direct effect was not. Higher AI anxiety was positively associated with higher work engagement (β=0.29, p=0.002), and higher work engagement with higher task performance (β=0.45, p<0.001). The total effect was significant (β=0.22, p=0.026), while the standardized indirect effect was 0.13 (95% CI: 0.036–0.248). Conclusions: AI anxiety may be tentatively interpreted as a possible challenge stressor, with its positive association with task performance appearing to operate indirectly through work engagement. These results indicate that strengthening AI competency and work engagement may support nurses’ task performance.