Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention of nurses in catholic hospitals in Uganda

Abstract

High rates of turnover among health workers is a key challenge facing the healthcare sector, and particularly in Catholic founded hospitals in Kampala. This study examined the relationships among job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intentions among nurses in selected Catholic Hospitals in Kampala. Specifically, the study sought to establish the relationship between (1) job satisfaction and turnover intentions, (2) affective and normative commitment and turnover intentions, and (3) to assess the mediating influence of organizational commitment including affective and normative commitment on the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Implementing a cross-sectional survey design, the study used a quantitative approach to collect data and test hypotheses to achieve its objectives. Data were collected in Kampala district at three hospitals in the UCMB network using simple random sampling with a sample size of 163 nurses and a response rate of 76.7%. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires consisting of items to measure job satisfaction, affective and normative commitment, and turnover intentions. Hierarchical regression and mediation regression models were used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed a statistically significant negative relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intentions (b = - 0.264, p = 0.01). Similarly, affective commitment (b = -0.508, p = 00) and normative commitment (b = -0.329, p = .01) were negatively related to turnover intentions. The study findings also supported partial mediation of both affective and normative commitment in the job satisfaction – turnover intentions relationship. Of the individual factors considered, only female gender (b = -0.739, p = .02) and organizational tenure between 3-9 years (b = -0.518, p = .04) negatively contributed to turnover intentions; while registered comprehensive nurse as a profession (b = 1.064, p = .05) was found to be a positive predictor of turnover intentions. The findings from the study support theory; specifically, a path was found from job satisfaction through organizational commitment to turnover intentions as advanced by the intermediate linkages model. The significant relationships of job satisfaction, affective and normative commitment with turnover intentions shows the importance of these variables in understanding turnover intentions among nurses in Uganda’s context; with implications for both policy and practice.