Background

Nurses work in a knowledge-intensive sector with high demands for lifelong learning. Thriving is a positive psychological state, including a sense of mutual learning and vitality at work. Research on thriving, its antecedents and outcomes is called for. The study aim was to examine thriving as a mediator in the relationships between telephone nurses’ structural empowerment and the outcomes work-personal life benefits, job performance, work-related stress symptoms and turnover intentions, as well as to psychometrically test the Thriving Scale (Swedish version).

Methods

Questionnaire data, a national sample of 409 Swedish telephone nurses, were collected, and relationships were examined using multiple regression analyses with PROCESS macro. Factorial validity of the Thriving Scale was tested using confirmative factor analyses.

Results

There were statistically significant relationships between structural empowerment and the outcomes (work-personal life benefits, job performance, stress symptoms, turnover intentions), and these relationships were mediated by thriving. The Thriving Scale showed good internal consistency, and an acceptable to borderline mediocre fit for factorial validity. Thirty-two percent reported turnover intentions.

Conclusions

Good access to structural empowerment increases nurses’ thriving, which in turn improves work-personal life benefits, job performance, and decreases stress symptoms and turnover intentions. Managers should strive to improve nurses’ thriving at work, emphasizing good access to empowering structures.