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Quality of working life and adaptability of returning to work in nurse cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Objective

To explore the relationship between quality of working life (QWL) and adaptability of returning to work (RTW) among nurse cancer survivors (NCSs).

Method

We conducted a cross-sectional study on nurses previously diagnosed with cancer. QWL was quantified using the Quality of Working Life Scale (QWL7-32), and the level of RTW adaptability was assessed using the Adaptability of Returning to Work for Cancer Survivors (ARTW-CS) scale. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to control for confounding factors, and a simple effect analysis was performed on the interaction term.

Results

After controlling for sociodemographic, work-related, and health-related factors, the findings indicated a significant correlation between “adaptation and planning” and QWL score (p < 0.05). Further analysis revealed that “RTW gradualness” and “support seeking” had an interaction effect (p = 0.021). The simple effect analysis demonstrated that when the “RTW gradualness” score was ≥ 16 points, nurses with a high “support seeking” score (≥ 7 points) exhibited a significantly better QWL than those with a low “support seeking” score (< 7 points) (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The interaction between “RTW gradualness” and “support seeking” in the ARTW-CS scale significantly impacted the QWL of the NCSs, underscoring the importance of implementing a gradual career plan and seeking support to enhance QWL.

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Data Availability

Data and materials supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to the nurses who participated in this study and shared their quality of work life (QWL) after returning to work (RTW). We would like to extend our thanks to Jun Chen primarily provided guidance in research design, while Guangyun Mao offered guidance in the later stages of data analysis. The assistance provided by the head nurses in implementing this study is greatly appreciated. Additionally, we acknowledge the valuable contribution of all the medical staff who assisted with the investigation.

Funding

This study was supported by the ‘14th Five-Year’ Graduate Teaching Reform Project in Zhejiang Province ( No. : 263 ).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Second Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Wenjing Xu, Danhong Hu, Na Li, Xiao Feng, Miaoye Hu, Fuxiao Cao & Chunmei Zhang

  2. The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Hao Chen

  3. The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, Zhejiang, China

    Bixia Jin

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  1. Wenjing Xu
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  9. Chunmei Zhang
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Contributions

All the authors have contributed to the conception and design of the study. Data collection was conducted by Wenjing Xu, Hong Hu, Hao Chen, Na Li, Xiao Feng, Miaoye Hu, Fuxiao Cao, and Bixia Jin. Data analysis was performed by Wenjing Xu, Danhong Hu, and Chunmei Zhang. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Wenjing Xu. All authors have commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chunmei Zhang.

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Ethics approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. (Date. 2022.09.08/No. 2022-K-120–01).

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Wenjing Xu and Danhong Hu are joint first authors.

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Xu, W., Hu, D., Chen, H. et al. Quality of working life and adaptability of returning to work in nurse cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study. Support Care Cancer 32, 226 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08409-2

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