Investigating the Predictive Contribution of Illness Perception and Nurses’ Occupational Hardiness to Their Quality of Life: The Mediating Role of Occupational Social Loafing and Empathy

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the predictive contribution of illness perception and occupational hardiness to quality of life, considering the mediating role of occupational social loafing and empathy among nurses. In terms of purpose, this research was fundamental, and in terms of method, it was a descriptive correlational study based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all nurses working in the city of Isfahan during the first six months of 2023. Based on a correlational design, 250 participants were selected through convenience sampling and completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), the Occupational Hardiness Questionnaire-Short Form (OHQ-SF), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Occupational Social Loafing Questionnaire for Adults (O.S.Q.), and the Empathy Scale (E.S.). The results showed that occupational hardiness had a significant negative effect on occupational social loafing and a significant positive effect on empathy and quality of life. This means that as occupational hardiness increases among nurses, occupational social loafing decreases, while empathy and quality of life increase. The findings also indicated that occupational social loafing and empathy had significant effects on quality of life. In other words, an increase in occupational social loafing was associated with a decrease in quality of life, whereas an increase in empathy was associated with an improvement in quality of life. Overall, it can be concluded that quality of life is predictable based on illness perception and occupational hardiness, considering the mediating roles of occupational social loafing and empathy in nurses. In fact, the findings suggest that nurses who have a better perception of the illness they are dealing with and possess stronger occupational hardiness are more likely to experience a higher quality of life, provided that they do not exhibit occupational social loafing. Furthermore, nurses who demonstrate high levels of empathy are likely to report a high quality of life regardless of their illness perception and level of occupational hardiness. This finding highlights the important role of empathy in promoting nurses’ quality of life.