Work motivation and self-rated anxiety: Nurses’ perspectives

Abstract

Objective: Considering nurses’ psychological status, work decision involvement, emotions, anxiety, and motivation, is an important issue for attaining nurses’ retention and maintaining their preservation in their work positions. Work motivation is the key that enhances employee performance which is influenced by numerous internal and external factors; job anxiety is the apparent one. The current study is directed to achieve two aims: to assess the work motivation level and self-rated anxiety among nurses and to investigate the relationship between them. Therefore, a descriptive, correlative research design was applied with 300 registered nurses in King Abd El Aziz governmental hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A triple-section questionnaire was used for data collection that involved: First, Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale (MWMS) that was developed by Gagne et al. in 2010. Second, Self-Rated Anxiety Sub-scale which was developed by Warr et al. in 1979. Third, sociodemographic questions were included.
Results: About three-quarters of Suadi nurses have high work motivation level concerning introjected and identified regulations while more than half of them have a high level of work motivation regarding amotivation and extrinsic regulations. Consequently, most of the participants have high scores in work motivation level. As regards, self-rated anxiety, all study subjects have a certain level of anxiety at work, but the majority of them were with low level. As pertaining the correlation between both study variables, there is a negative correlation between work motivation level and self-rated anxiety and the present study proved that Saudi registered nurses in King Abd El Aziz governmental hospital have high work motivation level scores with low self-rated anxiety scores.
Conclusions: The current study confirms that the Saudi nurses in Jeddah have high work motivation level with low anxiety. Furthermore, the study provides evidence of a negative or inverse correlation between work motivation level and self-rated anxiety among Saudi registered nurses in King Abd El Aziz governmental hospital. Nurses should be aware by the importance of motivation in their job and at the same time, be aware of the risks of work-related anxiety. Nurse Managers have to tailor all factors which are surrounding nurses in a hospital environment, organizational structure and culture to be positively motivated and, at the same time, to alleviate any tendency of work-related anxiety. Furthermore, work motivation and anxiety should be involved and integrated into the nursing curriculum in nursing schools.
Further researches: A research about the effect of the work motivation educational program on nurse manager’s leadership skills, is needed. A study about the correlation between work motivation and other negative or positive variables in work environment among nurses is necessitated. Also, assessment of nurses’ work motivation and anxiety using different tools such as value test, emotional inventory and adjustment skills measurement.