Job control, staff adequacy, social support and lower back pain among nurses in Yemen: The moderating role of psychological capital

The healthcare sector is one of the largest and most important sectors in the world. Given that, it spends large amount of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for most countries which is a significant part of any national economy. Within the sector, the profession of nursing is indispensable, as it is based on caring for the patient, and also providing moral support. The work means that nurses spend a long time in inappropriate physical conditions, leading to many health problems of their own, including lower back pain, on which this study focuses. This study focuses on Yemeni nurses because of their importance in contributing to Yemeni society and the high percentage of employment in Yemeni hospitals. Factors such as social support, job control, and staff adequacy were tested against lower back pain. The study also examined the moderating effects of psychological capital on the relationship between social support, job control, staff adequacy, and lower back pain. The current research aims to fill existing theoretical gaps by investigating the relationship between social support, job control, staff adequacy, and lower back pain. A total of 470 questionnaire were distributed to 39 hospitals in Yemen involving the nurses. However, a total of 338 cases were suitable for further analysis. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) has been used to test the study’s hypotheses. Results indicate that social support, job control, and staff adequacy have a significant relationship on nurses’ lower back pain. The moderating effects of psychological capital on the relationship between social support, job control, staff adequacy, and nurses’ lower back pain were examined. Results indicate that psychological capital moderates the relationship between job control, staff adequacy and nurses’ lower back pain; but not between social support and nurses’ lower back pain. The findings will provide important insights to the health sector and nursing, not only in Yemen but worldwide. Researchers and policymakers will better understand the effects of social support, job control, staff adequacy, and psychological capital on nurses’ lower back pain.