Perceived organizational Support and Nurses' Caring Behaviors: The Serial Mediating Roles of Perceived Stress and Career Calling.

aimTo examine the association between perceived organizational support (POS) and nurses' caring behaviors and to explore the serial mediating roles of perceived stress and career calling (CALL) in this relationship.

backgroundCaring behaviors are essential for high-quality nursing care and patient satisfaction. However, heavy workloads and psychological pressure may weaken nurses' caring performance. POS, as a key job resource, may be associated with caring behaviors alongside lower perceived stress and stronger intrinsic motivation, such as CALL.

methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 648 nurses from six tertiary hospitals in Chongqing, China. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess POS, perceived stress, CALL, and caring behaviors. The hypothesized serial mediation model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with bias-corrected bootstrapping, and additional PROCESS analysis was performed to verify robustness.

resultsOrganizational support was positively associated with caring behaviors (β = 0.33, p < 0.001), and a significant indirect association via perceived stress and CALL (β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.07, 0.24]). The model explained 26% of the variance in caring behaviors (R

conclusionPOS was associated with nurses' caring behaviors, both directly and through an indirect pathway involving perceived stress and CALL. These findings suggest that perceived stress and CALL may represent potential pathways linking organizational support with caring behaviors. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers may consider fostering supportive organizational environments, implementing stress management interventions, and developing programs that help strengthen nurses' CALL, as these factors may be associated with more favorable caring behaviors and nursing practice.