Background A robust psychosocial safety climate (PSC) can enhance nurses’ work engagement. Conversely, presenteeism—the behaviour of working while ill—reduces nurses’ productivity and negatively impacts their work engagement. However, research is scarce on the interplay between PSC, presenteeism, and work engagement among nurses. Objective This study examined the mediation of presenteeism in the relationship between PSC and nurses’ work engagement. Methods This cross‐sectional descriptive study was performed among 2982 full‐time registered nurses from tertiary hospitals in 38 cities across 15 provinces in China. An online questionnaire survey was conducted from 2 December 2024 to 31 January 2025. The measurement tools included the 12‐item Psychosocial Safety Climate Scale, the Chinese version of the Stanford Presenteeism Scale, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t ‐tests, one‐way ANOVA, multiple stepwise linear regression analysis, and PROCESS v3.5 macro analysis. Results The average scores for PSC, presenteeism, and work engagement were 49.10 (±10.37), 15.23 (±4.67), and 86.28 (±24.49), respectively. Marital status, only‐child status, nurse specialist qualification, PSC score, and presenteeism score significantly influenced nurses’ work engagement, accounting for 43.9% of the variance. PSC boosted work engagement and lowered presenteeism, while presenteeism decreased work engagement. Furthermore, presenteeism partially mediated the relationship between PSC and work engagement. Conclusion Nurses report a relatively strong PSC and moderate levels of presenteeism and work engagement. Demographic and work‐related characteristics, along with PSC and presenteeism scores, determine nurses’ work engagement. Furthermore, PSC exerts both a direct and an indirect influence on nurses’ work engagement, with presenteeism serving as a partial mediator. Implications for Nursing Management Nurse managers should prioritize fostering a supportive PSC, minimizing presenteeism, and enhancing work engagement. Such measures can ultimately improve care quality and patient safety.
Xiaoli Yang (Wed,) studied this question.