Objective

Job satisfaction is considered to be one of the most important indicators of quality of health care and quality of work life for health professionals. In the context of nursing, social support and work engagement are regarded as two of the most important predictors of job satisfaction. Consequently, the aim of this study was to examine to what extent social support (supervisor/coworkers) and work engagement predict job satisfaction in a sample of Portugueses nurses.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study using questionnaires was conducted. A convenience sample of members from Portuguese hospitals was used in this study (n = 215, return rate = 55.56%).

Results

Social support from supervisor and from coworkers and work engagement were significantly related to job satisfaction. Regression models showed that job satisfaction was significantly predicted by both types of social support and work engagement.

Conclusion

Interventions based on the creation of informal and formal support networks, training of supervisors in management and coaching skills, and a greater presence of work and personal resources would increase the levels of job satisfaction in nurses.

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