Exploring the Influence of Mindful Self-Care on Workplace Engagement among Nurses: A Path Analysis

Background: Work engagement in nurses is influenced by a variety of factors, with compassion fatigue identified as a negative predictor and resilience identified as a positive predictor. Although mindful self-care (MSC) may influence work engagement, this potential relationship has not been validated in the literature. Purpose: This study was designed to examine the relationship between MSC and work engagement in a sample population of nurses in Israel and to investigate the potential mediating effects of compassion fatigue, resilience, and internal health locus of control (IHLC) on this relationship. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected from 845 nurses working in different clinical settings in Israel. A self-administered questionnaire was administered online between March and June 2023 to assess MSC, compassion fatigue, resilience, IHLC, and work engagement. A hypothesized model based on the Job Demands-Resources Theory was proposed. Descriptive statistics and path analysis were utilized in data analysis. Results: The proposed model demonstrated a good fit with the empirical data, explaining 17.2% of the variance in work engagement. Direct relationships were identified between work engagement and, respectively, MSC, compassion fatigue, resilience, and IHLC (β=-0.131, p <.01; β=0.011, p <.01; β=0.116, p <.05; β=0.280, p <.01, respectively). The relationship between MSC and work engagement was shown to be mediated by compassion fatigue and resilience (β=0.068, p <.01), while compassion fatigue was shown to partially mediate the relationship between MSC and resilience (β=0.025, p <01). IHLC was not found to be significantly associated with work engagement. Conclusions: MSC is a significant predictor of work engagement among nurses. Practicing MSC increases personal resilience and prevents compassion fatigue, leading to higher work engagement. Thus, we recommend nurse managers promote the regular practice of MSC, along with traditional self-care behaviors, among nurses to improve work engagement.