A study on the relationship between research stress, research anxiety, research performance, and job satisfaction among Chinese healthcare professionals and its influencing mechanisms: a national multi-center survey.

Background: Chinese healthcare professionals face dual pressures from clinical duties and research activities, which may increase research-related anxiety and reduce job satisfaction. While occupational stress has been well studied, the mechanisms linking research stress to job satisfaction are unclear. Research performance may also play a key role, but its impact remains uncertain. This study explores the relationships between research stress, research anxiety, research performance, and job satisfaction, and identifies the pathways connecting these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals (nurses, physicians, and pharmacists) from eastern, central, and western regions of China to assess research-related conditions and job satisfaction (JS). Job satisfaction was measured using a modified validated scale. Research stress (RS), research anxiety (RA), and research performance (RP) were assessed using self-developed instruments. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to perform path analysis and mediation analysis. Results: A total of 924 healthcare professionals were included in the study. Over 85% reported working more than 40 hours per week, and 66.5% rated their health status as fair or poor. Regarding the types of research conducted by healthcare professionals, clinical research accounted for the highest proportion (63.2%), followed by basic science research (9.8%), while health services research and community-based research were relatively less common. The mean scores of JS, RS, RA, and RP were 3.40 ± 0.88, 2.56 ± 0.70, 2.34 ± 0.87, and 3.55 ± 0.82, respectively. Path analysis revealed that research stress was positively associated with research anxiety and negatively associated with both research performance and job satisfaction. Research anxiety was also negatively associated with research performance and job satisfaction, whereas research performance was positively associated with job satisfaction. Mediation analysis indicated that research stress was associated with job satisfaction both directly and indirectly through research anxiety and research performance. Conclusions: Research stress is negatively associated with job satisfaction among healthcare professionals through increased research anxiety, whereas higher research performance is positively associated with job satisfaction. Hospitals and healthcare institutions should optimize the research environment, strengthen psychological support, and enhance research resource allocation to reduce research stress, improve research performance, and ultimately increase job satisfaction.