From Professional Commitment to Continuity: How Resilience and Empowerment Reduce Turnover Intention Among Critical Care Nurses

J Nurs Manag. 2026;2026(1):e4887342. doi: 10.1155/jonm/4887342.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To examine the mediating effects of resilience and psychological empowerment on the relationship between professional commitment and intention to leave among critical care nurses (CCNs).

BACKGROUND: The intention of CCNs to leave their jobs is considered a primary problem faced by hospitals and healthcare executives worldwide. There is a need to analyze its relationship with professional commitment, resilience, and psychological empowerment.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional study.

METHODS: This study was conducted among 430 CCNs from October 2024 to January 2025. Data were collected using a sociodemographic sheet, Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES), Intention to Leave Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Nursing Professional Commitment Scale (NPCS). A path analysis was performed using AMOS 24.0 software.

RESULTS: Professional commitment demonstrated a significant total negative effect on intention to leave (β = -0.420, p = 0.005). Both resilience and psychological empowerment significantly mediated this relationship. The indirect effect through resilience was stronger (β = -0.071, p = 0.011) than that through psychological empowerment (β = -0.041, p = 0.004). Professional commitment was positively associated with both resilience (β = 0.208, p = 0.009) and psychological empowerment (β = 0.462, p = 0.009), while each mediator was negatively related to intention to leave (β = -0.343 and β = -0.091, respectively). The direct effect of professional commitment on intention to leave remained significant (β = -0.306, p = 0.005), indicating partial mediation.

CONCLUSION: This study indicates that professional commitment, through fostering resilience and psychological empowerment, directly and indirectly lowers turnover intentions. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing nurses’ commitment, empowerment, and resilience in order to support workforce retention. Practical and administrative policy efforts that promote professional development, autonomy, and psychological support for nurses may help to reduce turnover rates in critical care settings.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Hospital administrators and nursing leaders should give top priority to initiatives that strengthen professional commitment, psychological empowerment, and resilience among CCNs, as these factors were found to directly and indirectly reduce intention to leave. Supportive leadership techniques, resilience-building seminars, structured mentorship programs, and participatory decision-making models may all help to reinforce nurses’ commitment to the profession. By incorporating these strategies into organizational policy, critical care settings can promote a stable nursing workforce, increase employee retention, decrease the desire to leave, and ultimately enhance the quality of patient care.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Enhancing the psychological empowerment, resilience, and professional commitment of CCNs may successfully reduce their intention to leave and improve workforce stability and patient care quality. These results can be used by nursing administrators to create retention-focused interventions, such as resilience training, empowerment initiatives, and mentorship, that promote nurses’ mental health and job happiness.

REPORTING METHOD: The STROBE checklist was used as a guideline.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

PMID:42935026 | DOI:10.1155/jonm/4887342