The New and Key Roles for Psychological Contract Status and Engagement in Predicting Various Performance Behaviors of...

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Organizational Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• The psychological contract (PC) is vital in employment relationships.
• PC breach is a known factor affecting employee outcomes.
• PC status offers a novel perspective on employee-employer dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of PC status and breach on nurses' performance.
• To examine the mediating roles of engagement, job satisfaction, and psychological distress.
• To compare the predictive power of PC status versus PC breach.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 177 Australian nurses and midwives completed self-report questionnaires.
• Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data.
• Predictors included negative affectivity, PC breach, and PC status, with engagement, job satisfaction, and distress as mediators.

Main Results:

• PC status positively predicted engagement; PC breach negatively predicted engagement but positively predicted job satisfaction.
• Negative affectivity positively predicted distress, which negatively predicted organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBO) and in-role behavior (IRB).
• Engagement positively predicted job satisfaction, OCBI, OCBO, and IRB.

Conclusions:

• PC status may be a stronger predictor of engagement and subsequent performance than PC breach.
• Engagement is a critical mediator for nurses' performance and mental well-being.
• Further research into PC status is recommended for healthcare settings.