Assessing the Effect of Transactional Leadership and Empowerment on Nursing Staff's Satisfaction: A Cross-Sectional Study

The present study aimed to explore the impact of transactional leadership and psychological empowerment on Greek nurses' job satisfaction. Α cross-sectional study was conducted in five Greek public general hospitals between January 1 and March 30, 2022. Participants were 608 nurses. The study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire that included: a) demographic and occupational characteristics, b) the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), c) the Psychological Empowerment Instrument (PEI), and d) the Kuopio University Hospital Job Satisfaction Scale (KUHJSS). Mean scores indicated positive perceptions of transactional leadership (3.55 ± 0.72), high levels of empowerment (3.94 ± 0.49), and job satisfaction (leadership 3.92 ± 1.07, working environment 3.34 ± 0.78, motivating factors 4.11 ± 0.89, and team spirit 4.08 ± 0.37). Younger nurses with secondary education exhibited higher satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses identified nurses' level of education, transactional leadership, and psychological empowerment as main predictors of leadership satisfaction (F=4.343, p=.002, R2 =.28, adjusted R2 =.22). Younger nurses with higher empowerment levels and positive attitudes toward transactional leadership reported greater satisfaction from motivating factors (F=6.925, p=.000, R2 =.44, adjusted R2 =.38). The results of the study showed that nurses' satisfaction from work is mainly derived from leadership, despite the potent effect of psychological empowerment.