Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling
Abstract Background The global nursing shortage has intensified the need for effective leadership strategies to enhance nurse performance and retain skilled staff, particularly in high-stress environments like intensive care units Transformational leadership has been recognized as a critical factor...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-08-01
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| Series: | BMC Nursing |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03685-7 |
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| author | Qian Huang Lina Wang Haitao Huang Haishan Tang Jie Liu Chaoran Chen |
| author_facet | Qian Huang Lina Wang Haitao Huang Haishan Tang Jie Liu Chaoran Chen |
| author_sort | Qian Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The global nursing shortage has intensified the need for effective leadership strategies to enhance nurse performance and retain skilled staff, particularly in high-stress environments like intensive care units Transformational leadership has been recognized as a critical factor in improving nurses’job performance. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain underexplored. This study investigates the direct impact of transformational leadership on ICU nurses’job performance and examines the mediating roles of psychological empowerment and work engagement. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. Between October to November 2024, a total of 584 intensive care nurses from China completed the survey, which included standard assessments on transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement, and job performance. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the direct and indirect effects of transformational leadership on job performance, with psychological empowerment and work engagement as mediators. Results The results indicated significant positive correlations among transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement, and job performance (all P < 0.01). Transformational leadership not only directly affected the job performance of intensive care nurses but also influenced it through the partial mediating roles of psychological empowerment and work engagement, with the mediating effects accounting for 24.64% and 21.74% of the total effect, respectively. Additionally, the analysis found that psychological empowerment and work engagement, played a chain mediating role in the relationship between transformational leadership and the job performance, with the mediating effect accounting for 15.94% of the total effect. Conclusions This study highlights the association between transformational leadership and ICU nurses’ job performance, both directly and indirectly through psychological empowerment and work engagement. The findings suggest that transformational leadership is related to key psychological and behavioral factors that may support better job performance. Fostering transformational leadership behaviors may serve as a valuable approach for nursing managers to enhance psychological empowerment and engagement among ICU nurses, with potential benefits for patient care outcomes. Clinical trial number Not applicable. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8a1d096e09e94afeb99478ec40fb55c1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1472-6955 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Nursing |
| spelling | doaj-art-8a1d096e09e94afeb99478ec40fb55c12025-08-20T03:04:27ZengBMCBMC Nursing1472-69552025-08-0124111210.1186/s12912-025-03685-7Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modelingQian Huang0Lina Wang1Haitao Huang2Haishan Tang3Jie Liu4Chaoran Chen5Central Sterile Supply Department, Huaihe Hospital, Henan UniversityDepartment of Gynecology, Huaihe Hospital, Henan UniversityWest China School of Nursing, Sichuan UniversityInstitute of Nursing and Health, School of Nursing and Health, Henan UniversityNursing Department of Huaihe Hospital, Henan UniversityInstitute of Nursing and Health, School of Nursing and Health, Henan UniversityAbstract Background The global nursing shortage has intensified the need for effective leadership strategies to enhance nurse performance and retain skilled staff, particularly in high-stress environments like intensive care units Transformational leadership has been recognized as a critical factor in improving nurses’job performance. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain underexplored. This study investigates the direct impact of transformational leadership on ICU nurses’job performance and examines the mediating roles of psychological empowerment and work engagement. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. Between October to November 2024, a total of 584 intensive care nurses from China completed the survey, which included standard assessments on transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement, and job performance. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the direct and indirect effects of transformational leadership on job performance, with psychological empowerment and work engagement as mediators. Results The results indicated significant positive correlations among transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement, and job performance (all P < 0.01). Transformational leadership not only directly affected the job performance of intensive care nurses but also influenced it through the partial mediating roles of psychological empowerment and work engagement, with the mediating effects accounting for 24.64% and 21.74% of the total effect, respectively. Additionally, the analysis found that psychological empowerment and work engagement, played a chain mediating role in the relationship between transformational leadership and the job performance, with the mediating effect accounting for 15.94% of the total effect. Conclusions This study highlights the association between transformational leadership and ICU nurses’ job performance, both directly and indirectly through psychological empowerment and work engagement. The findings suggest that transformational leadership is related to key psychological and behavioral factors that may support better job performance. Fostering transformational leadership behaviors may serve as a valuable approach for nursing managers to enhance psychological empowerment and engagement among ICU nurses, with potential benefits for patient care outcomes. Clinical trial number Not applicable.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03685-7Transformational leadershipPsychological empowermentWork engagementJob performanceNurses |
| spellingShingle | Qian Huang Lina Wang Haitao Huang Haishan Tang Jie Liu Chaoran Chen Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling BMC Nursing Transformational leadership Psychological empowerment Work engagement Job performance Nurses |
| title | Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling |
| title_full | Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling |
| title_fullStr | Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling |
| title_short | Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, work engagement and intensive care nurses’ job performance: a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling |
| title_sort | transformational leadership psychological empowerment work engagement and intensive care nurses job performance a cross sectional study using structural equation modeling |
| topic | Transformational leadership Psychological empowerment Work engagement Job performance Nurses |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03685-7 |
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