StArT: Influence of self-esteem-threatening work stressors, social support and self-compassion on mental health and turnover intention among young professionals in nursing professions

Status:

completed 01/2026

Aims:

The aim is to gain insights into the importance of self-esteem-relevant work stressors and social and personal resources for mental health and turnover intentions among young professionals in nursing professions.

Activities/Methods:

An online questionnaire study was conducted with a total of four measurement time points. The first measurement point (T1) took place at the end of vocational training. The second survey (T2) was conducted one month after starting employment, while the subsequent two surveys (T3 and T4) were conducted at intervals of four months each.

Results:

Almost all of the stressors examined had an effect on the intention to quit (moral stress, qualitative overload, illegitimacy, interpersonal conflicts, time pressure, and interruptions; no effect: role ambiguity). Qualitative overload and time pressure appear to be particularly relevant to health. Recommended onboarding strategies include providing verbal information, assigning limited responsibility, onboarding through a mentor, and using checklists to compensate for the overload that is likely to be unavoidable during the initial phase. Time pressure, interruptions, and conflicts need to be reduced directly, as their detrimental effects on health could not be mitigated through onboarding strategies. The detrimental effects of role ambiguity and moral stressors on health and self-esteem/self-efficacy could be explained by the emergence of feelings of shame.

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