The Mediating Effect of Workplace Spirituality on the Relation between Job Stress and Job Satisfaction of Cancer Survivors Returning to Work

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of workplace spirituality in the relation between job stress and job satisfaction as well as the level of job stress, job satisfaction, and workplace spirituality of cancer survivors returning to work. A total of 126 cancer survivors who returned to work more than six months prior to the research participated in this study. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling; they were visiting the outpatient clinic at two general hospitals located in a metropolitan city and their clinical stage was stage 0 or stage 1. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. Job stress, workplace spirituality, and job satisfaction had a negative correlation, whereas workplace spirituality and job satisfaction had a positive correlation. The Sobel test was performed to verify the significance of the mediating effect size of workplace adaptation, the results confirmed a partial mediating effect of workplace spirituality on the relation between job stress and job satisfaction (Z = –4.72, p < 0.001). This study confirmed the mediating effect of workplace spirituality in the relation between job stress and job satisfaction. A systematic program needs to be developed to enhance workplace spirituality, a spiritual approach, to relieve job stress and increase job satisfaction.

Effect of Workplace Spirituality on Quality of Work Life of Nurse Cancer Survivors in South Korea

“…The mean NWS score of nurse cancer survivors participating in our study was 5.01 (out of 7), similar to the workplace spirituality of general cancer survivors,[ 13 22 ] but higher than the scores of hospital nurses in Korea measured using the same instrument. [ 10 21 34 ] Our finding is supported by previous studies showing that the experience of cancer diagnosis and treatment increases nurses' compassion and empathy for patients, and thus alters their attitude toward patients and strengthens their sense of duty.…”

“…[ 21 ] Furthermore, workplace spirituality among cancer survivors, including nurses, is significantly associated with job stress and job satisfaction, both important predictors of quality of work life. [ 13 22 ] The domains of NWS include “meaning of nursing,” where nurses attach meaning to nursing and develop joy, delight, and pride in relation to their jobs; “inner self,” where nurses strive to discover hope and meaning through their work; “transcendence through nursing,” where nurses improve their abilities to provide better care and fully commit to nursing and experience a state of transcendence during work; and “interaction with the job environment,” which refers to the culture of empathy within the organization. These individual-level domains of workplace spirituality may be understood as nurses' attachment of new meaning to their work and organizations after returning to work following a turning point in their lives spurred on by cancer diagnosis and treatment.…”

“…A recent Korean study reported that workplace spirituality impacts quality of work life among cancer survivors, including nurses. [ 22 ] However, the study involved the entire cancer survivor population who returned to work and failed to reflect the specific features of the nursing profession, including its greater professional sense of duty compared to other occupations, the opportunity to discover new meaning in nursing through their relationship with colleagues, and the promotion of self-realization. [ 10 ] Researches on workplace spirituality among nurses are on-going in Korea and abroad.…”

Factors Affecting Quality of Work Life in a Sample of Cancer Survivor Female Nurses

“…Furthermore, the difference in these findings can be attributed to the fact that 90% of participants had 11 years or more of work experience and were therefore highly skilled in nursing work. In addition, 37% of participants were nurse managers, who have relatively lower job stress compared to staff nurses [ 25 ]. However, our results were partially similar to previous results, where cancer survivor nurses’ job stress did not predict QWL [ 16 , 37 ].…”

“…Job stress refers to the physical, psychological, and emotional stress experienced by nurses who are cancer survivors, due to their capabilities of undertaking nursing tasks, and it can be considered an indicator of functional state, showing individuals’ capabilities. Job stress was found to be negatively correlated with job satisfaction as a key component of QWL, and thus is considered a predictor of QWL among cancer survivors [ 25 ]. As individual factors we considered age, marital status, number of children, educational level, religion, and cancer-related parameters, and as environmental factors we considered work-related factors, namely, work shift type, job position, and length of career.…”