Interacting Effects of Gender and Workplace Conflict on Subjective Social Status and the Mediating Role of Professional Benefits in Registered Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study in China.

purposeThe objectives of this study were to examine whether there is a relationship between workplace conflict and subjective social status and to explore whether gender serves as a moderating variable and perceived professional benefits act as a mediating variable in this relationship.

methodsData were derived from a sample of 8575 registered nurses across 29 hospitals in Shanghai. We examined gender differences in the relationship between workplace conflict and nurses' subjective social status by employing a multilinear regression model that incorporated the interaction between gender and workplace conflict. Additionally, we explored whether professional benefits differently mediated the relationship between workplace conflict and subjective social status for male and female nurses through gender-specific mediation analyses.

resultsThe association between workplace conflict and subjective social status differed by gender (p < 0.001). Female nurses who experienced workplace conflict demonstrated a reduced subjective social status (β = -0.63, 95% CI: -0.78 to -0.47, p < 0.001), with their subjective social status scores further diminishing as the frequency of conflict increased (β = -0.65, 95% CI: -0.78 to -0.52, p for trend < 0.001). Conversely, among male nurses, a positive correlation was observed (β = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.06 to 1.06, p for trend = 0.028). Among female nurses, the direct association between workplace conflict and the subjective social status score was statistically significant (β = -0.37, 95% CI: -0.49 to -0.25, p < 0.001), and an indirect effect mediated through professional benefits was also observed (β = -0.43, 95% CI: -0.50 to -0.36, p < 0.001). The proportion of mediation was 0.54 (95% CI: 0.45 to 0.64, p < 0.001).

conclusionsGender plays a significant interactive role in the relationship between workplace conflict and nurses' subjective social status. Among female nurses, professional benefits function as a partial mediator. Accordingly, it is recommended that healthcare institutions address the concerns and needs of female nurses by enhancing their professional benefits to increase their subjective social status. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Managers can improve nurses' subjective social status by increasing their sense of professional benefits. When encountering workplace conflict, healthcare managers could consider involving male nurses in conflict management and encouraging male nurses who have successfully resolved conflicts to share their experiences in conflict management.