Aim: To examine the reciprocal associations between empathy, resilience and work engagement, and to explore the mediating effect of resilience on the empathy and work engagement relationship among hemodialysis nurses in China.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional quantitative study. A convenience sampling was used to investigate 582 hemodialysis nurses in Chengdu, China. Structural equation modeling technique was conducted to analyze the mediating effect of resilience on the association between empathy and work engagement.
Results: Empathy and resilience were direct, positive and significant predictors for work engagement. Empathy also had a direct, positive and significant predictive effect on resilience. Empathy indirectly and significantly affected work engagement via the partial mediating effect of resilience.
Conclusion: Higher empathic ability may lead to greater work engagement by enhancing resilience. Attention should be paid to the development of empathic capacity and resilience to foster work engagement in hemodialysis nurses.
Keywords: empathy; hemodialysis nurses; resilience; work engagement.
© 2019 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.