Negative Implications in Meaningful Work: A Latent Profile Analysis of Meaning and Well-Being Among Nurses.
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Meaningful work is key to improving and maintaining well-being among workers. However, a small but supportive amount of research has shown that meaningful work may not always result in positive outcomes, suggesting potential negative implications by acting as a “double-edged sword” to well-being. In this study, we propose to identify distinct profiles based on the perceived meaningful work, work engagement, subjective well-being, and emotional exhaustion among nurses. We sampled 380 nursing staff from the US and collected the data using a Qualtrics Panel. Most of the participants were women (77.6%) and were working primarily in a hospital (55.3%) in the private sector (47.4%). We employed Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) as the methodological framework to identify distinct profiles within our sample based on selected continuous variables. In our analysis, we consider participants' responses to meaningful work, work engagement, subjective well-being, and emotional exhaustion. The LPA showed four profiles, of which two presented a distinct pattern of emotional exhaustion regardless of their well-being scores. Profile 1 showed workers with high meaningful work, work engagement and subjective well-being, and low levels of emotional exhaustion. Profile 2 shows workers with above-average meaningful work, work engagement, subjective well-being, and higher levels of emotional exhaustion. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) post hoc test showed non-significant differences in meaning, work engagement, and subjective well-being between both profiles; however, Profile 1 showed significantly lower emotional exhaustion (M = 2.20, SD = .814) compared to Profile 2 (M = 5.50, SD = .769). These findings indicate that workers with highly meaningful work can experience emotional exhaustion and suggest that meaningful work can bring forth a series of consequences to the individual’s well-being. Additional research to understand the mechanisms that explain this pattern is needed.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Psychological Science
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Israel Sánchez-Cardona
Additional Faculty
Laura Lorente Prieto, Psychology, laura.lorente-prieto@uv.es
Tyler Collette, Psychology, tcollet1@kennesaw.edu
Powerpoint Presentation Version 2- Edwin
Negative Implications in Meaningful Work: A Latent Profile Analysis of Meaning and Well-Being Among Nurses.
Meaningful work is key to improving and maintaining well-being among workers. However, a small but supportive amount of research has shown that meaningful work may not always result in positive outcomes, suggesting potential negative implications by acting as a “double-edged sword” to well-being. In this study, we propose to identify distinct profiles based on the perceived meaningful work, work engagement, subjective well-being, and emotional exhaustion among nurses. We sampled 380 nursing staff from the US and collected the data using a Qualtrics Panel. Most of the participants were women (77.6%) and were working primarily in a hospital (55.3%) in the private sector (47.4%). We employed Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) as the methodological framework to identify distinct profiles within our sample based on selected continuous variables. In our analysis, we consider participants' responses to meaningful work, work engagement, subjective well-being, and emotional exhaustion. The LPA showed four profiles, of which two presented a distinct pattern of emotional exhaustion regardless of their well-being scores. Profile 1 showed workers with high meaningful work, work engagement and subjective well-being, and low levels of emotional exhaustion. Profile 2 shows workers with above-average meaningful work, work engagement, subjective well-being, and higher levels of emotional exhaustion. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) post hoc test showed non-significant differences in meaning, work engagement, and subjective well-being between both profiles; however, Profile 1 showed significantly lower emotional exhaustion (M = 2.20, SD = .814) compared to Profile 2 (M = 5.50, SD = .769). These findings indicate that workers with highly meaningful work can experience emotional exhaustion and suggest that meaningful work can bring forth a series of consequences to the individual’s well-being. Additional research to understand the mechanisms that explain this pattern is needed.