Work-family conflict and anxiety among nurses of the maternal and child health institutions: the mediating role of job satisfaction

Over the past decades, anxiety has garnered significant attention from nursing population. Investigations have centered on the correlation between work-family conflict (WFC) and anxiety as well as the link between job satisfaction and anxiety among nurses. However, the role of job satisfaction plays in the relationship between work-family conflict and anxiety remains relatively unexplored. In April 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses ( = 3,770) working at the maternal and child health institutions in Henan province, China. Multiple linear regression model was used to explore the factors associated with anxiety. Model 4 in Hayes's PROCESS macro and Bootstrap method was performed to examine the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between work-family conflict and anxiety. The median (interquartile range) anxiety score was 5.00 (6.00). Work-family conflict was shown to be significantly correlated to job satisfaction ( = -0.517, 0.001) and anxiety ( = 0.457,