AIM: To 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. BACKGROUND: Caring 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. METHODS: A 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. RESULTS: = 0.26), and the indirect path accounted for about 26.7% of the total effect. Findings were consistent in PROCESS analyses and were in line with the hypothesized serial mediation model. CONCLUSION: POS 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.
朱文芬 et al. (Thu,) studied this question.