How does gratitude relate to nurses' job satisfaction? The mediating role of resilience and stress

Abstract Background Nurse job satisfaction is a critical area of study with far‐reaching implications for healthcare organizations, patient care, and the retention of nursing staff. Aims This study aimed to investigate the association of gratitude with job satisfaction among Chinese nurses and examine the potential mediating roles of resilience and stress in this relationship. Methods Two separate studies were conducted to examine our research hypotheses. In Study 1, a total of 460 nurses completed the questionnaire related to gratitude, resilience, stress, and job satisfaction. A validation study was conducted in Study 2, which consisted of 709 nurses who also completed the same measures of gratitude, resilience, and stress to ensure the repeatability of the Study 1 results. Furthermore, a different scale was used to measure nurses' job satisfaction. Results The two studies consistently found that both resilience and stress mediated gratitude–job satisfaction independently among Chinese nurses. Furthermore, resilience was found to be a significantly stronger mediator than stress in the association of gratitude with job satisfaction. Finally, we found that gratitude predicted nurses' job satisfaction via the serial mediating effects of resilience and stress. Conclusion These findings highlight the complex interplay between gratitude, resilience, stress, and job satisfaction by demonstrating that resilience and stress act as parallel and sequential mediators between nurses' gratitude and job satisfaction. The healthcare sector can improve nurses' job satisfaction by increasing gratitude, building resilience, and reducing feelings of stress. Linking Evidence to Action Nurse managers have the potential to enhance job satisfaction among nurses by implementing measures that increase gratitude, build resilience, and reduce stress levels.