Does Workplace Climate Moderate Nurses’ Perceived Stress Levels And Their Intentions To Leave During COVID 19?

Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA)

Committee Chair

Lewis Chongwony

Committee Member

Sabrina Dean

Committee Member

Alyncia Bowen

Abstract

Intensifying both leave intention and stress, nurses have long played a crucial role in the healthcare sector and the COVID-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented strain on the nursing profession. This study examined the relationship between stress and leave intention, focusing on the moderating role of perceived organizational support. Using a quantitative, correlational research design, data was collected from a sample of registered nurses working in various healthcare settings. The Anticipated Turnover Scale (ATS) and the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) were utilized to measure leave intention and stress while workplace climate was measured using the Scale of Perceived Organizational Support (POS). A hierarchical linear regression was conducted to test the hypotheses that perceived stress (death and dying, workload, and inadequate emotional preparation) would significantly predict leave intention beyond the effect explained by perceived organizational support. Regression results indicated that workload was the only significant predictor when just predictors were added to the models. When the additional predictor of POS was added, it was significantly improved the models. In the final models where the interactions were added, there were slight improvements observed in the variance, but none that were statistically significant. The findings indicated a significant relationship between perceived stress and leave intentions, with workplace climate playing a crucial role in mitigating the impact of stress on nurses’ decisions to leave. By investigating organizational support as a possible moderator, this study provides insight into potential policy implications and strategies to enhance workplace climate, thus improving nurse retention and patient care outcomes.

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