The impact of perceived organizational support on nurses' safety behavior: the sequential mediating roles of decent...

To examine the sequential mediating role of decent work perception and job embeddedness of decent work perception and job embeddedness in the relationship between perceived organizational support and nurses' safety behavior.

A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted among 753 nurses from four tertiary grade-A hospitals in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and validated scales measuring perceived organizational support, decent work perception, job embeddedness, and nurses' safety behavior. Spearman's rank correlation analysis and structural equation modeling with bootstrap resampling were conducted.

Mean scores for perceived organizational support, decent work perception, job embeddedness, and nurses' safety behavior were 40.92 ± 9.86, 55.99 ± 7.59, 65.30 ± 11.08, and 55.28 ± 4.22, respectively. Perceived organizational support, decent work perception, and job embeddedness were positively correlated with nurses' safety behavior. The total indirect effect of perceived organizational support on nurses' safety behavior was 0.297, accounting for 51.83% of the total. The indirect effects through decent work perception and job embeddedness accounted for 14.14% and 23.90% of the total effect, respectively, and the sequential indirect effect through decent work perception and job embeddedness accounted for 13.79%.

Decent work perception and job embeddedness mediated the association between perceived organizational support and nurses' safety behavior. Strengthening organizational support, decent work perception, and job embeddedness may help promote safer nursing practice.