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Examining the impact of perceived social support on mental workload in clinical nurses: the mediating role of positive coping style

BMC Nursing volume 24, Article number: 331 (2025) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

The mental workload of nurses refers to the mental activities involved in the completion of nursing work, which can adversely impact both the physical and mental health of nurses, as well as the quality of nursing services provided. Positive coping style and perceived social support can protect nurses from the harm of mental workload. However, few studies have simultaneously examined the relationship between the three variables (mental workload, perceived social support and positive coping style). This study aims to investigate the relationship between mental workload, perceived social support and positive coping style among clinical nurses.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was collected the total of 590 clinical nurses with convenience sampling in three tertiary hospitals of Chengdu in China. The data were collected using generally information questionnaire, Nurses’ NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), Perceived Social Support Scale (SPSS) and The Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ-PCS) for clinical nurses.

Results

The total score of mental workload was 68.86 ± 17.53 among clinical nurses. Mental workload was negatively correlated with perceived social support (r = -0.340, p < 0.01) and positive coping style (r = -0.348, p < 0.01). Furthermore, positive coping style mediated the relationship between perceived social support and mental workload with the partial mediating effect of -0.161.

Conclusion

Our study found that clinical nurses suffered relatively high level of mental workload. Positive coping style could mediate the effect of perceived social support on mental workload. Appropriate strategies should be formulated to enhance the accessibility and utilization of social support by nurses, and promote them to adopt positive coping methods to deal with clinical problems, so as to further reduce the mental workload of clinical nurses.

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Introduction

Mental workload, a concept rooted in cognitive workload theory proposed in 1976, is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon with no universally accepted definition. It is commonly understood that the core elements of mental workload include factors such as task demands, time pressure, operator ability and effort, and behavioral performance [1]. Since its inception, scholars have developed various definitions of mental workload based on its core components, incorporating the specific characteristics of their respective research fields. Ivziku has defined mental workload as the amount of mental effort required for a worker to complete task demand, including receiving and analyzing information as well as making decisions [2]. In the context of nursing, Liang has defined mental workload as the level of mental activity that nurses endure when performing nursing tasks, which encompasses job requirements, time pressure, effort, and behavioral performance [3]. Therefore, this study has used Liang’s definition of mental workload.

Nurses’ mental workload serves as a critical indicator for assessing work intensity [4] and is a significant factor affecting the quality of nursing care and medical safety [5]. A recent systematic review revealed that the pooled mean prevalence of high mental workload among nurses in both developing and developed countries was 54% [6]. And high level of mental workload can have a direct adverse effect on nurses, on the one hand, it can cause physical fatigue, negative emotions, or musculoskeletal disorders [7, 8]. On the other hand, heavy mental workload has a negative effect on nurses in performance and job satisfaction, increasing burnout and work stress while reducing work efficiency [9,10,11]. In addition, heavy mental workload also indirectly affected the safety of patients and the quality of nursing service, such as the increasing the higher risk of medication errors or nosocomial infections in patients all with increased mental workload [12, 13]. Given these numerous negative consequences, it is crucial to identify positive factors that can alleviate the mental workload of nurses.

According to Wickens’ theory of mental workload, intense mental workloads occur when task demands become more challenging and resources are insufficient [14]. Therefore, it is vital to ensure adequate resource provision when nurses face demanding workloads. Perceived social support, a key resource in organizational settings, refers to the mental and emotional support that individuals perceive or experience from family, friends, or significant others, including colleagues or leaders [15]. Studies have demonstrated that perceived social support is an effective resource for nurses, helping to alleviate work pressure and maintain both physical and mental well-being [16, 17]. Additionally, research has confirmed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived social support can reduce the negative impact of mental workload on nurses’ quality of life [18]. Ren et al. also found that nurses with higher perceived social support showed greater work engagement and experienced a reduction in the negative effects of mental workload [19]. Furthermore, Huang et al. identified perceived social support and coping style as influential factors in mental workload of emergency department nurses [20].

Coping style refers to the cognitive or behavioral strategies individual employ when confronted with potential stressors. Due to the diversity and complexity of coping methods, scholars have proposed various coping measures, such as self-control, cognitive reappraisal, ignore and seek support. According to the common characteristics of different coping measures, coping style are divided into positive coping style and negative coping style by Xie [21]. Generally, when individuals tend to adopt a positive coping style, it indicates that individuals have stronger emotional expression and better mental adjustment ability to maintain a healthy psychological state. Previous studies have shown that a positive coping style contributes to reducing mental workload, thus promoting the physical and mental health of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic [22]. Moreover, study has indicated that positive coping style serve as mediating factors that buffer mental workload. The higher the psychological capital of nurses, the more likely they were to adopt positive coping strategies, thereby reducing mental workload [3].

The above literature reviews found that although previous studies have shown bivariate correlation between perceived social support, coping style and mental workload; however, no studies have explored the mechanism analysis the relationship among perceptive social support, positive coping style and mental workload. Based on the dynamic theory, Jafari et al. proposed human-based dynamics model of mental workload, which can be used to analyze the long-term behavior impacts of mental workload [23]. In addition, this theoretical model emphasizes that the dynamics mechanism of human mental workload and its interaction with task demand and resource supply variables, as well as individual characteristics as the key affecting variables [23]. Building on this model, Shan et al. identified resource supply (psychological capital) and individual characteristics (problem-solving and positive reinterpretation coping styles) as key factors in reducing nurses’ mental workload during the COVID-19 pandemic [22]. However, Shan’s study did not explore the internal mechanisms linking resource supply, positive coping style, and mental workload. Perceived social support, as a crucial resource supply, may also be a protective factor of mental workload. Moreover, previous studies have provided empirical support for the role of positive coping style in mediating the impact of social support on nurses’ mental workload [3]. Additionally, Shi et al. found that positive coping style mediated the relationship between social support and negative emotions among palliative care nurses [24]. Hence, this study aimed to investigate relationship between perceived social support and mental workload, as well as the mediating effect of positive coping style for nurses.

The following hypotheses are mainly proposed in this study in Fig. 1:

Fig. 1
figure 1

Hypothetical model based on human-based dynamics of mental workload

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Hypothesis 1

Perceived social support and positive coping style direct affect mental workload.

Hypothesis 2

The relationship between perceived social support and mental workload is mediated by positive coping style.

Methods

Aim

This study aims to determine the status of nurses suffering from mental workload and to investigate relationship between mental workload and perceived social support, as well as the mediating effect of positive coping style for clinical nurses.

Study design

This was a cross-sectional study adhering to follow STROBE Statement (www.Equator-network.org).

Participants and sample size

The data collected a total of 590 nurses from 3 tertiary hospitals in Chengdu between April and July 2023 with convenience sample. To be eligible, the nurses should meet the following inclusion criteria: (a) the certified registered nurses, (b) willing to participate in this study, (c) worked fulltime and directly involved in patient care. We excluded float nurses, nursing students, or additional nurses who were not on work due to illness, maternity leave. All of the participants in the survey worked in the emergency, intensive care, oncology, internal medicine, surgery, operating, pediatric, and psychiatry department. A mediation model was conducted, the sample size could follow the requirements at least 10 to 20 times the number of variable [25]. A total of 650 questionnaires were distributed, 590 questionnaires were valid, and the response rate of 90.8%.

Measurements

Demographic characteristics questionnaire

Demographic characteristics questionnaire included personal information, namely, gender, age, education level, marital status, children, and work-related information, namely, years of nursing experience, department, professional title, employment type and psychological training.

Nurse’s version of NASA’s task load index scale

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) scale was used to measure the mental workload of the participants, which was developed by Hart and Staveland [26]. The Chinese version of NASA’s task load index scale was translated and culturally adapted by Liang to measure the level of nurses’ mental workload [27]. And the Chinese version of NASA’s task load index scale consists of 2 dimensions called workload perception and self-evaluation, where workload perception consists of 4 items (mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand and effort) and self-evaluation consists of 2 items (performance and frustration). The specific meanings of these items are as follows, mental demand, which indicates the process of required mental activity, such as thinking and calculating; physical demand, which signifies the need for physical activity, such as pushing and drawing; temporal demand defined as the time to complete the task; performance, which is an evaluation of satisfaction demonstrated in completing the task; effort, which indicates the level of effort an individual puts into completing a task; frustration, which is the discouragement and failure felt when doing a task. Each items have a score from 0 “low” to 20 “high” by a straight line, but performance item is reverse scored. Additionally, in this study, we used to calculate by adding the scores of six items rather than the weighted score, ranging from 0 to 100, and the higher scores indicating higher level of mental workload. The Cronbach’s α for Chinese version of NASA-TLX scale is 0.71. In this study, the Cronbach’s α of scale was 0.77. The model fitting index of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed RMSEA = 0.045, GFI = 0.991, CFI = 0.993. The construct reliability (CR>0.6) and average variance extracted (AVE>0.5) of workload perception and self-evaluation were CR = 0.858, AVE = 0.603, Square root of AVE = 0.777 and CR = 0.730, AVE = 0.579, Square root of AVE = 0.761 (see Fig. 1 in Supplementary information). Further analysis of the discriminant validity found that the pairwise correlation between the factors was statistically significant and smaller than the corresponding square root of AVE, indicating that there was a certain degree of discriminant between the factors.

The scale of perceived social support

Social support was assessed by the Scale of Perceived Social Support (SPSS). it was developed by Zimet [15], and the Chinese version of SPSS translated by Jiang et al. with high reliability and validity [28]. The PSSS contains three dimensions, namely, support of family members, friends, and any significant others (colleague or leaders) and each dimension has 4 items, a total of 12 items. Among the SPSS, participants were asked to answer with a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 “strongly disagree” to 7 “strongly agree”, and with higher scores indicating higher level of perceived social support. Additionally, the Cronbach’s α for the Chinese version of the scale is 0.80. In this study, the Cronbach’s α of scale was 0.97. The model fitting index of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed RMSEA = 0.068, GFI = 0.947, CFI = 0.984. The construct reliability (CR>0.6) and average variance extracted (AVE>0.5) of family, friends and any significant others support were CR = 0.935, AVE = 0.784, Square root of AVE = 0.885, CR = 0.943, AVE = 0.810, Square root of AVE = 0.900 and CR = 0.942, AVE = 0.801, Square root of AVE = 0.895 (see Fig. 2 in Supplementary information). Further analysis of the discriminant validity found that the pairwise correlation between the factors was statistically significant and smaller than the corresponding square root of AVE, indicating that there was a certain degree of discriminant between the factors.

The simplified coping style questionnaire

The Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) was revised by Xie to be suitable with high reliability and validity in China populations [21]. The SCSQ was extracted into the positive coping style subscale and the negative coping style subscale. The simplified coping style questionnaire-Positive Coping Style (SCSQ-PCS) has 12 items including divert attention, seek support, adopt problem-solving methods, suppress negative emotions and participating activities. Additionally, participants were asked to answer with a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 “never used” to 3 “always used”. The higher positive coping scores indicated positive coping style. In this study, the Cronbach’s α of scale was 0.74. The model fitting index of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed RMSEA = 0.048, GFI = 0.967, CFI = 0.984. The construct reliability (CR>0.6) and average variance extracted (AVE>0.5) of positive coping style were CR = 0.945, AVE = 0.590, Square root of AVE = 0.768 (see Fig. 3 in Supplementary information). Further analysis of the discriminant validity found that the pairwise correlation between the factors was statistically significant and smaller than the corresponding square root of AVE, indicating that there was a certain degree of discriminant between the factors.

Data collection

All data were collected electronic questionnaire through online questionnaire service platform in China (Questionnaire Star). Before the survey, we obtained the consent and support of the nursing management department of each hospital. With the assistance and cooperation of nursing supervisors in each department, we distributed electronic questionnaires through the Questionnaire Star platform to clinical nurses who met the inclusion criteria. At the same time, the process of collecting questionnaires fully followed to the principles of informed consent and confidentiality. In addition, the instructions on the first page of the questionnaire included guidelines for informed consent, requirements for completing the questionnaire, and instructions on data privacy protection, ensuring that informed consent and voluntary participation of each participant in this study. In addition, each hospital has trained surveyors responsible for the data collection process of the corresponding hospital, including the questionnaire filling instructions, how to successfully submit the questionnaire, and regularly log in to the Questionnaire Star platform for data monitoring. To ensure the quality of the questionnaire, surveyors can log in to the Questionnaire Star platform to set questionnaire management measures, such as limiting each IP address to submit questionnaire only once and requiring all questions to be answered before successful submission. After data collection, two researchers checked the quality of questionnaire and eliminated invalid questionnaires. The criteria of invalid questionnaires were following: (a) apparently regular and repeated responses to the questionnaire, (b) questionnaires with conflicting answers (the working years are not consistent with the age), (c) repeated submission of questionnaires, (d) questionnaires with excessively long or short completion times.

Data analysis

Data were exported from Questionnaire Star to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26.0 and double-checked by two researchers. And missing data were eliminated at the first checked the quality of data collection and delete outliers and extremes values. In addition, the absolute values of maximum skewness and maximum kurtosis of variables range from 0.065 to 0.583, so the normal distribution of data were guaranteed. The descriptive analysis was presented with demographic characteristics and work-related information by percentage. Similarly, the descriptive analysis of mental workload, perceived social support and positive coping style were determined with means and standard deviations (SD). T-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the influence of demographic factors on mental workload. Furthermore, multiple linear regression and Pearson’s correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship among mental workload, perceived social support and positive coping style. Finally, the AMOS 26.0 software was used to examine the mediation model path between three variable relationships. In the study, the likelihood-ratio chi-square/degree of freedom ratio (χ2/df<3), goodness-of-fit index (GFI>0.9), adjusted goodness of fit (AGFI>0.9), comparative fit index (CFI> 0.9), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI>0.9), normed fit index (NFI>0.9), Incremental Fit Index (IFI>0.9), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA<0.08) were used to judge the rationality of the model. In addition, all p ≤ 0.05 were supposed to be significant with a two-tailed test and the mediational effect is significant if the CI is 95% and the bias-corrected lower and upper limits with not including zero through a bootstrapped sample of 5000 [29].

Results

Demographic characteristics for participants

The total of 590 questionnaires and the descriptive analysis were described all characteristics information of participants. It was observed that most of the nurses were female (85.25%), married (55.42%) and with children (51.86%); the mean score of age was 31.41 ± 8.55 years. The major education level of nurses was bachelor degree (64.75%). Moreover, nurses (61.36%) attended the psychological training (Table 1).

Table 1 Demographic characteristics and scores of mental workload (N = 590)
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The level of mental workload, perceived social support and positive coping style

The mental workload score of 590 participants was 68.86 ± 17.53, where the score of the dimensions were workload perception (48.11 ± 14.27) and self-evaluation (20.75 ± 6.18). Perceived social support score was 59.08 ± 15.51. Positive coping style were21.69 ± 8.32 (Table 2). Moreover, nurses who not attended psychological training reported higher mental workload (p<0.05) (Table 1).

Table 2 Descriptive and correlation analysis of mental workload, perceived social support and coping style for clinical nurses (N = 590)
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Correlations of mental workload, perceived social support and positive coping style

The results showed that the higher the perceived social support, the lower the mental workload (r= -0.340, p < 0.01). Similarly, the more inclined to adopt positive coping style, the lower the mental workload (r= -0.348, p < 0.01). In addition, with the increase of perceived social support, positive coping style will also increase (r = 0.572, p < 0.01) (Table 2).

Multiple linear regression

Multiple linear regression models were used to explore the impact of variables with statistical significance from the univariate analyses (psychological training), perceived social support and positive coping style on mental workload. The collinearity diagnosis indicated no multicollinearity among the covariates. The results showed that the multiple linear regression model explained 16.6% of the total variation of mental workload, indicating that psychological training (β=-0.143, p<0.010), positive coping style (β=-0.250, p<0.010) and perceived social support (β=-0.209, p<0.010) can negatively predict mental workload (Table 3).

Table 3 Multiple linear regression for mental workload
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The partial mediation effect of positive coping style between perceived social support and mental workload

Our study further explored the relationship between mental workload, perceived social support and positive coping style by structural equation model, as shown in Fig. 1.

In addition, the mediator of positive coping style was examined by 5000 bootstrap analyses with 95% confidence intervals. All the fit indices were appropriated as follow: χ2/df = 1.818, GFI = 0.993, AGFI = 0.979, TLI = 0.995, NFI = 0.995, CFI = 0.998, RMSEA = 0.037. It indicated that the fit indices well. Also, perceived social support had a significant direct effect of on mental workload (β= -0.296, p < 0.001), account for 64.8% of the total effect. And the direct effect of positive coping style on mental workload (β= -0.282, p< 0.001). The above data indicated that hypothesis of H1 was valid. Furthermore, the indirect mediating effects of perceived social support → positive coping style → mental workload was − 0.161 (p< 0.001) with a 35.2% of total effect value. Consequently, the result suggested that positive coping style partially mediates the relationship between perceived social support and mental workload, and the hypothesis of H2 was valid. See above data (Table 4; Fig. 2).

Table 4 Effect of pathways of positive coping style on the relationship between perceived social support and mental workload
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Fig. 2
figure 2

The mediation model of positive coping style between perceived social support and mental workload

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Discussion

The mental workload score of nurses in this study was 68.86 ± 17.53, with the workload perception dimension scoring the highest and self-performance the lowest. This indicates that nurses experience a relatively high level of mental workload in our study, which exceeds the levels reported in previous research [11]. This may be attributed to the fact that most of the participant of this study are female, married, with children and education for undergraduate of nurses. These nurses typically form the backbone of daily nursing operations in hospitals, shouldering a significant workload while simultaneously dealing with the dual pressures of family and work responsibilities [2]. Additionally, tertiary grade A hospitals often experience high patient volumes and complex, variable patient conditions. Due to nurse shortages, these hospitals are inadequately staffed, leading to an increased workload for nurses, frequent shifts, and night work [30]. This overburdened working condition exacerbates fatigue among nurses, which in turn increase their mental workload [31]. Therefore, it is suggested that nursing managers could pay closer attention to the mental workload of nurses and the negative effects of high mental workload, and take suitable interventions to reduce their mental workload.

Our research also demonstrated that psychological training for nurses negatively predicts mental workload, consistent with the findings of He et al. [4]. On the one hand, psychological training can enhance nurses’ emotional regulation abilities and resilience, empowering them to respond positively and optimistically when confronted with high work pressure [32]. On the other hand, research has showed that psychological resources help nursing staff quickly manage stress, preserve mental health, and prevent burnout and psychological distress [33]. It can be inferred that psychological training can improve emotional regulation and coping abilities, thereby maintaining mental health and reduce the level of mental workload among nurses.

Furthermore, this study confirmed that perceived social support have a direct effect on mental workload, which is consistent with the previous research [20]. This finding is not surprising, as a study in Ghana found that support from coworkers significantly reduces job stress and mental workload among nurses [34]. Positive perceived social support fosters communication and cooperation among nurses, creates a harmonious working environment, strengthens teamwork, and increases job satisfaction and work engagement [35]. In addition, perceived social support can provide nurses with more learning and development opportunities [36]. For example, support from superiors and colleagues can help nurses gain practical experience and improve professional skills, encouraging continuous progress and enhancing the quality of nursing services.

Additionally, this study confirmed that positive coping styles directly affect mental workload. Huang et al. proposed that positive coping style was one of the import factors affecting the mental workload, and the more inclined to adopt positive coping style, the lower the mental workload [20]. Moreover, some studies have suggested that positive coping strategies, such as positive reinterpretation and seeking social support, help nurses remain optimistic, actively solve work-related problems, and regulate their emotional states [3, 22]. This reduces mental workload by altering the cognitive evaluation of stressful events. Obviously, nurses can distract themselves, practice emotional regulation, increase psychological resilience, and reduce job burnout through techniques such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, cultivating hobbies, and exercise [37, 38].

Our results also confirmed that perceived social support not only directly affects mental workload but also indirectly influences it through the mediating effect of positive coping style. This may be because perceived social support can influence an individual’s cognitive evaluation of problem-solving abilities, thereby affecting coping styles. Previous studies have showed that higher perceived social support can predict the use of positive coping strategies, which in turn reduces work-related stress and enhances subjective well-being and job satisfaction [39,40,41]. Thus, it can be inferred that perceived social support, in conjunction with positive coping styles, offers an effective approach for managing mental workload. Furthermore, a cross-sectional study of among 2751 medical staff showed that perceived social support and positive coping styles were among the important factors in increasing resilience and maintaining mental health [42]. It suggests that the higher the level of social support, the more nurses feel they can cope with stressful events, adjust their perceptions of these events, and use positive coping strategies to manage potential challenges. Therefore, in this study, nurses who reported higher levels of perceived social support and positive coping style experienced lower mental workload, which is crucial for maintaining nurses’ occupational mental health.

Theoretical and empirical implications

It is worth noting that this study has some important implications. The theoretical significance of this study is to expand and verify the understanding of human-based dynamics model of mental workload, which believes that resource supply and individual characteristics are the key variables that affect mental workload. Our results showed that positive coping style play a mediating role between perceived social support and mental workload, indicating that improving perceived social support and individual tendency to adopt positive coping style can reduce the level of mental workload. This study has expanded the empirical research results of the application of human-based dynamics model of mental workload in clinical nurses, and enriched the localization research of the model in Chinese nurses.

Limitations

There are some limitations in this study. Firstly, although variables of the cross-sectional design of this study were established using structural equation model on the basis of hypothesized relationships according to the literature review, we cannot draw causal explanations at a clearly defined time frame. Therefore, the further longitudinal design should be considered. Secondly, the convenience sampling method was employed, and the sample consisted exclusively of nurses from general tertiary hospitals in China. This sampling approach may not fully capture the characteristics of the target population, as it excludes other occupational groups and regions. Additionally, the findings of this study are primarily relevant to clinical nurses in a specific hospital, limiting the generalizability of the results to nurses in other medical institutions or from diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, future research should utilize stratified sampling to include a broader range of regions and more varied populations, thereby improving the generalizability of the findings. Lastly, future studies could examine other factors influencing mental workload, such as organizational culture, leadership styles, or workload distribution. Longitudinal research designs could also be employed to explore causal relationships between these variables over time.

Conclusion

Our study found that nurses’ mental workload was relatively high and was influenced by psychological training, perceived social support, and positive coping style. Based on these findings, nursing managers should focus on the mental health of nurses by organizing reasonable work schedules, offering regular psychoeducation and counseling, promoting communication activities, and providing opportunities for career advancement and development. Additionally, this study suggests that positive coping style play a mediating role between perceived social support and mental workload. Therefore, nursing managers should enhance communication and feedback with nurses, establish clear reward and punishment systems, improve organizational support systems, strengthen the accessibility and utilization of perceived social support, and encourage nurses to adopt positive coping strategies to further reduce the psychological workload of clinical nurses.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on request and research data are not be shared at this time due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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Acknowledgements

All authors gratefully acknowledge all participants, and the nursing administrators from the collaborating hospital for supporting in this survey.

Funding

This study was supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Planning Fund of the Ministry of Education of the People’ s Republic of China [grant numbers:22YJA630087]. And Sichuan Hospital Management and Development Research Center, Southwest Medical University [numbers: SCYG2024-2].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 1166 Liu Tai Road, Wen Jiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Qianqian Ren, Jialin Wang, Meng Yu, Ying Xia, Shuangshuang Feng & Qi Tang

  2. Sichuan Nursing Vocational College, No. 173, Long South Road, Long Quan Yi District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Zhongqing Yuan

  3. The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, No. 82 QingLong street, Qing Yang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

    Man Jin

  4. Department of Pediatric Cardiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China

    Mei Teng

  5. Suining Central Hospital, No. 84 Desheng Road West, Chuanshan District, Suining City, Sichuan Province, China

    Hong He

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  1. Qianqian Ren
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  7. Meng Yu
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Contributions

Conceptualization and Writing - original draft: Qianqian Ren, Zhongqing Yuan Data collection and curation: Qianqian Ren, Meng Yu, Shuangshuang Feng, Qi Tang, Ying Xia. Data, formal analysis and software: Qianqian Ren, Hong He, Man Jin, Mei Teng, Project administration and supervision: Jialin Wang Critical revisions for important intellectual content and writing - review & editing: Jialin Wang, Qianqian Ren, Zhongqing Yuan, Hong He.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jialin Wang.

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Ethical approval

This research was carried out in compliance with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and received approval from the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China (Number: 2023KL-098). Similarly, all participants were recruited for the study on the basis of informed consent and their willingness to participate. To safeguard the confidentiality of the participants, the survey was conducted anonymously. Furthermore, this research adhered strictly to national statutory and institutional guidelines.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ren, Q., Wang, J., Yuan, Z. et al. Examining the impact of perceived social support on mental workload in clinical nurses: the mediating role of positive coping style. BMC Nurs 24, 331 (2025). https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1186/s12912-025-02992-3

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Keywords

BMC Nursing

ISSN: 1472-6955

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