Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42845943›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026

Unraveling the pathways from alexithymia to work engagement among critical care nurses: the mediating effects of social support and organizational trust.

Sameer A Alkubati, Naif F Alshammari, Abdulhafith Alharbi, Saleh Z Alhetar, Galal F Albani, Elham S Moqbel, Ayman Mohamed El-Ashry, Hamdan M Albaqawi, Wesam T Almagharbeh, Habib Alrashedi and 4 more

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Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Sameer A AlkubatiDepartment of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Naif F AlshammariDepartment of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulhafith AlharbiDepartment of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Saleh Z AlhetarDepartment of Maternal and Child Health, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Galal F AlbaniDepartment of Maternal and Child Health, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Elham S MoqbelDepartment of Maternal and Child Health, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Ayman Mohamed El-AshryDepartment of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Al-Qurayyat, Saudi Arabia.
Hamdan M AlbaqawiDepartment of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Wesam T AlmagharbehMedical Surgical Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Habib AlrashediDepartment of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Bushra AlshammariDepartment of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Layla AlshammariDepartment of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Bandar S AlsaifDepartment of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
Aziza Z AliDepartment of Nursing Administration, College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Critical-care nurses (CCNs) are exposed to intense emotional demands that may impair work engagement, particularly in the presence of alexithymia. However, the mechanisms that link alexithymia to work engagement remain unclear. This study aimed to determine how organizational trust and social support mediate the relationship between alexithymia and work engagement among CCNs in Hail, Northwest Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study involved 308 CCNs in Hail from August to November 2025. Data were collected using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), Organizational Trust Scale, and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Data were analyzed using AMOS 24. Results: More than half of the CCNs (52.3%) exhibited a high level of alexithymia, followed by moderate (36%) and low (11.7%) levels. Higher alexithymia levels were significantly associated with lower levels of social support (β = -0.229, Implications for practice: Enhancing organizational trust and strengthening social support may buffer the negative effects of alexithymia on work engagement. Interventions such as leadership development, peer support programs, and emotional skills training may help promote psychological well-being and sustained engagement among CCNs. Conclusion: Alexithymia is a significant psychological barrier to work engagement among CCNs. Organizational trust and social support can effectively mitigate this impact.

Indexed as

alexithymiacritical care nursesorganizational trustSaudi Arabiasocial supportwork engagement

Identifiers

PMID42845943
PMCPMC13642642

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.