Mediating Role of Structural Empowerment between Conflict Resolution Strategies and Intention to Stay among Nurses in Selected Hospitals in Nueva Ecija

Abstract

Aims: To describe perceived nurse leaders’ conflict-resolution management, structural empowerment, and intention to stay, and to examine the indirect association between conflict-resolution management and intention to stay through structural empowerment among staff nurses in selected hospitals in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Methodology: A quantitative descriptive, cross-sectional study with simple mediation analysis involved 105 registered staff nurses recruited through proportionate allocation and convenience sampling in three purposively selected hospitals in 2026. A researcher-adapted five-point questionnaire assessed five conflict-resolution modes, four structural empowerment dimensions, and intention to stay. Five experts assessed content validity (reported item-level CVI = 0.90), and pilot testing with 10 nurses yielded an overall questionnaire Cronbach’s alpha of 0.956. Descriptive statistics and a Wald-based mediation analysis were reported using jamovi (α = .05). Construct-specific reliability, reverse scoring, and unrounded mediation estimates require confirmation. Results: Perceived conflict-resolution management was high (M = 4.23, SD = 0.53), with collaborating rated highest (M = 4.53, SD = 0.69). Structural empowerment was high (M = 4.09, SD = 0.69), with access to information and support jointly rated highest (both M = 4.16). The reported raw-item intention-to-stay mean was 3.53 (SD = 0.57), although its reverse-scored composite requires verification. The reported a path (B = 0.72, p < .001) and b path (B = 0.56, p < .001) were significant. The indirect association was significant under the reported Wald method (B = 0.40, 95% CI [0.25, 0.55]), whereas the direct association was not (B = 0.04, p = .687). The reported proportion mediated of 91.58% requires verification from unrounded estimates. Conclusion: Results were consistent with an indirect-only statistical association, but cross-sectional data cannot establish causal mediation. Organizational access to information, support, opportunities, and resources warrants consideration in nurse-retention initiatives.