Job Demands, Stress Outcomes, and the Moderating Role of Resources Among Nursing Faculty in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Nursing faculty shortages, burnout, and high turnover represent an escalating workforce crisis in Saudi governmental colleges of nursing. The Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model offers a theoretically grounded framework for examining how occupational demands are associated with reduced well-being and how resources moderate these effects. Objective: This study aimed to examine the direct associations between job demands and stress outcomes and the moderating roles of job and personal resources among nursing faculty in Saudi Arabia, accounting for gender and nationality as structural covariates. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 268 nursing faculty members from five governmental colleges using a voluntary survey of all eligible faculty (response rate: 51.1%). Theory-driven hierarchical regression analyses examined direct and moderating effects within the health-impairment pathway of the JD-R model. Results: Job demands significantly predicted all three burnout dimensions, reduced mental well-being, and job dissatisfaction. Trait emotional intelligence moderated the demand–exhaustion (delta-R2 = 0.031, p = 0.006) and demand–job satisfaction (delta-R2 = 0.028, p = 0.009) relationships. Job resources moderated the demand–mental well-being (delta-R2 = 0.024, p = 0.018) and demand–professional efficacy links (delta-R2 = 0.021, p = 0.029). Conclusions: Job demands are the primary predictor of burnout and occupational stress. Gender and nationality were associated with systematic differences in stress outcomes, suggesting that interventions should be culturally responsive and account for structural inequities.