A Causal Model of Workplace Engagement Among Indonesian Nursing Staff

Considering the important role of nurses during emergencies and grounded in the cybernetic theory of stress, coping, and well-being, this study investigated the direct and indirect impact of coping resources (i.e., resilience, spiritual support) on nurses’ workplace engagement via underlying mechanism coping strategies (i.e., seeking information and consultation, self-control). Applying a time-lagged survey methodology, data were collected from 414 registered nurses in Banjarmasin city, the capital of South Kalimantan, Indonesia, and working in the hub of various private and public health care units. Five measures used to collect the data were: Resilience, Spiritual support, Seeking information and consultation, Self-control, and the Utrecht Workplace Engagement Scale. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling SmartPLS 3.0 software. The results revealed the positive direct and indirect impact of resilience and spiritual support on workplace engagement through the mediatory role of self-control and seeking information and consultation. All variables explained 69% of the variance in workplace engagement. This study has uniquely assessed the mediatory role of coping strategies in transmitting the impact of coping resources among nurses into their workplace engagement. Simultaneously, various coping strategies in the workplace might serve to construct a pathway for developing engaged nurses, wherein the nurses can employ their resources to confront new challenges and find new ways to handle the demanding situations at the workplace. Similarly, health care centers and hospitals can promote communication and information at all levels to help nurses to develop skills and coping mechanisms to improve their productivity and engagement in the workplace.