social research reports journal

ISSN (electronic): 2067-5941

CC Licence: CC BY-NC

• An introduction to social constructionism
• Social Research Reports, Volume 7, January 2010
• Social Research Reports, Volume 1, July 2009
• Social Research Reports, Volume 10, April 2010
• ROOT CAUSE OF TERRORISM: A BRIEF SURVEY OF SOUTH ASIA

Who's online

Copyright © 2009-2017  Expert Projects . A  Software Vision Business ® solution.

• Current Issue
• Current Announcements
• Special Issue Collection
• Call for Editorial Board Members
• Aims & Scope
• Submission Guidelines
• Content Type
• Privacy Statement
• Article Processing Charge Policy
• Referee Instructions
• Editorial Team
• Code of Ethics

About the Journal

Interdisciplinary Social Research   Reports is a comprehensive Open Access journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research across a wide range of social science disciplines. Our mission is to advance knowledge and address complex societal issues through interdisciplinary perspectives.

We welcome contributions from diverse fields including Archaeology, Anthropology, Business, Communication, Criminology, Cultural Studies, Economics, Education, Environmental Studies, Ethics, Finance, Gender Studies, Geography, Health Policy, History, Information Science, International Relations, Law, Management, Media Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Urban Studies, and more.

Our journal also emphasizes innovative methodological approaches such as Computational Social Science, Applied Statistical Methods, Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, and AI for Social Science.

St. Petersburg University Press (UDB-SPU)

Scholarly journals from st. petersburg university on a wide range of topics.

The St. Petersburg University Press (UDB-SPU) collection offers online access to scholarly and scientific works published in the renowned Vestnik SpbU , a journal of science and theory that features educational and scientific literature on social and natural sciences, engineering and technology. Established in 1946, St. Petersburg University Press publishes innovative theoretical, experimental, and practical research, as well as reports on the achievements of the University’s research institutes and schools. The editorial board of Vestnik SpbU is drawn from prominent academic researchers with leading works in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

• Archive: 2013-present
• Language: Russian; English abstracts
• City: St. Petersburg
• Country: Russia
• Frequency: Quarterly
• Updates: Continuous
• Format: PDF, article-based
• Producer: East View Information Services
• Platform: East View Universal Database

UDB-SPU Titles

The St. Petersburg University Press (UDB-SPU) collection includes 17 Series with an archive going back to 2013. All articles are presented in the original PDF format in Russian, with abstracts in English.

Series 1. Mathematics. Mechanics. Astronomy Series 2. History Series 3. Biology Series 4. Physics. Chemistry Series 5. Economy Series 6. Political Science. International Relations Series 7. Geology. Geography Series 8. Management Series 9. Phylology. Oriental Studies. Journalism Series 10. Applied Mathematics. Information Science. Management Processes Series 11. Medicine Series 12. Sociology Series 13. Oriental and African Studies Series 14. Law Series 15. Art Studies Series 16. Psychology. Pedagogy Series 17. Philosophy. Conflict Studies. Cultural Studies. Religion Studies

Related Resources

East view’s universal database™ platform.

As the largest provider of authoritative information on Russia and the former Soviet Union, East View offers an innovative approach to electronic research. We maintain redundant hosted environments for this content in Minneapolis and Moscow on our Universal Database™ platform (UDB).

Customize and Optimize Your Library

• Build collections from individual online titles
• Link options for Online Public Access
• IP/password access to standard or custom collections
• Stable URLs for linking on a database level or on individual title and article levels
• Mirror servers in U.S. and Russia
• Usage reports in COUNTER format

Increase Your Efficiency

• Interface functions are optimized for specific content types
• Browse by specific title and issue
• Mobile friendly access
• Easily exportable citations
• Transliteration, Russian, Ukrainian or English language searches
• Virtual Russian and Ukrainian keyboard displays available for ease of input

* UDB and Universal Database are international trademarks of East View Information Services, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Interested in more information?

• Institution *
• Phone Number *
• State, Country *
• Resource or Service * Resource or Service e-Collections Newspapers Journals Books & eBooks Maps & Atlases Standards Approval Plans Digitization Services Document Delivery Library Services Research Translation
• Resource of Interest
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our website is being updated this week; thank you for your patience.

Published Research

This is the University of Washington School of Social Work’s repository of published research articles, where cutting-edge research and groundbreaking findings come to life. Our faculty and researchers are dedicated to advancing the field of social work through rigorous, impactful research that addresses pressing social issues and promotes well-being across diverse communities. Explore our research to gain insights into the latest developments and contributions that are shaping the future of social work practice and policy.

Anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among early adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors: Hannah Scheuer | Kristi Morrison | Vivian Lyons | Nicole Eisenberg | John Briney | Margaret Kuklinski

Publication: Journal of Adolescence URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jad.12333?casa_token=V0mtl8-olTAAAAAA%3AWu7Pv8N4KXDhnP3wq6oSf903E7ngDAl38VSgGTJCvkO8G8SqWLtgCJAM0XZuLFH0Vl98iQzD05tcEmM

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12333

• Google Scholar

The association of alcohol use and heavy drinking with subsequent handgun carrying among youth from rural areas

Authors: Ali Rowhani-Rahbar | Margaret Kuklinski

Publication: The Journal of Rural Health URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jrh.12789?casa_token=HgPSNjylPPUAAAAA%3AEoHr2tfwrKPoIRgGsE5OrAH3oJii-70vvvBPLKWQMqX_CeQfS2w7i1X9C39829w5gG0AqvJp7t2_h9A

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12789

Conceptualization of Firearm-Related Terms Among Rural Adolescents: Definitions Matter

Authors: Margaret Kuklinski | Ali Rowhani-Rahbar

Publication: Youth & Society URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0044118X241263968?casa_token=zS_ZJGrmVOAAAAAA%3A40RLIC5J5qmvDo8F78M4AUpyU4o0izhfU1JpB8TuFZWAsA8XBHAuVy7BGSDCFjW3iSZmY4ThJl7i

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X241263968

Continuity and Change in Substance Use Patterns During the Transition from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Examining Changes in Social Roles

Author: Jennifer Bailey

Publication: International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-024-01342-9

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-024-01342-9

Family-Focused Universal Substance Use Prevention in Primary Care: Advancing a Pragmatic National Healthcare Agenda

Author: Margaret Kuklinski

Publication: Prevention Science URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-023-01584-4

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-023-01584-4

Longitudinal associations between adult-supervised drinking during adolescence and alcohol misuse from ages 25–31 years: A comparison of Australia and the United States

Publication: Addictive Behaviors URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460324000339?casa_token=XkCQDPwF9GYAAAAA:IoUQ0vz9lQn_vex_2hvG5gNN6KjKq6su88BmT59cb9y_amcsudsGHBjE-_BUPrGy-Zc9PTClIg

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.107984

Long-term Effects of the Raising Healthy Children Intervention on Family Functioning in Adulthood: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

Authors: Jennifer Bailey | Marina Epstein

Publication: Journal of Prevention URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10935-023-00753-z#citeas

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-023-00753-z

Multiple Perspectives on Motivating Parents in Pediatric Primary Care to Initiate Participation in Parenting Programs

Publication: Academic Pediatrics URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876285923003261?casa_token=V7iJ4wh6Zz0AAAAA:882Z52bVA4Snv4V9x36YVCrIjLqg3TNGnJrYxVGRnFdn4D8gBtcdsiAa6PBZLiRaw09w7zXpjQ

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2023.07.020

Publication: Handbook of Moral and Character Education URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003374077-28/positive-youth-development-programs-john-toumbourou-martie-skinner-chisina-kapungu-craig-olsson-elizabeth-westrupp-richard-catalano

Predictors of Housing Insecurity in Young Adulthood

Publication: Emerging Adulthood URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21676968241253878

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/216769682412538

• News & Opinion
• Our Programmes
• General Election Hub
• Our Priorities
• Our Research

Social Selection on the map

The Sutton Trust has produced a series of research studies looking at socio-economic selectivity in the comprehensive system in England, repeatedly finding evidence that top comprehensive schools are, in practice, often highly socially selective. The most recent addition to this series of reports, Selective Comprehensives 2024 , added to this body of research, showing that selectivity at high performing schools remains high.

This piece looks beyond just high performing schools, and digs deeper into the geographical patterns of socio-economic segregation in the comprehensive system as a whole, showing the wider impacts of selection. The data provides an unprecedented insight into the dynamics of secondary school admissions in England, including local authority-level analysis of school segregation.

Alongside the brief, we have published an interactive map . The map provides, for the first time, school-level information about how the socio-economic profile of school intakes reflect their local area, for almost every state secondary school in England. It allows schools and policy makers to compare the socio-economic intakes of schools in local authorities across the country.

New interactive map of secondary school admissions across England

The difference in the English and Maths attainment gap between the most and least segregated areas

The proportion of pupils who would need to move schools in the North East for an even spread of disadvantage

The proportion of pupils across England who would need to move schools to achieve parity

• Schools in the North East have the highest levels of socio-economic segregation in England, with Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Stockton-on-Tees, and North Tyneside in the top ten most segregated local authorities. The North West has the second highest levels of segregation.
• In the most segregated area in England, Solihull, you would need to redistribute 32% of pupils across schools in order to achieve an even spread of disadvantaged pupils. In the least segregated area, Torbay, this is just 6%.
• London, the West Midlands and the South West have lower levels of segregation on average.
• Areas with more faith schools have more segregation, particularly Catholic schools. Areas with higher proportions of English as an additional language pupils have lower segregation. Rural areas have lower segregation than urban areas.
• Local Authorities with high levels of segregation have larger attainment gaps between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils. Areas with the highest segregation have gaps in the rate of passes in English and maths 27% higher than areas with low segregation.
• Grammar schools contribute particularly strongly to segregation in areas with high levels of academic selection.
• School leaders, including school governors, should implement a fair access review for their school. This should include reflecting on their year 7 intake each year and reviewing whether it reflects the local and national pictures in terms of levels of socio-economic disadvantage, as well as reviewing how their admissions policies could be adapted to address any inequalities. It is important to do this periodically, as intakes can see fluctuations year on year. Schools looking to become more socially diverse and inclusive should consider the following range of measures in relation to a) admissions policies and oversubscription criteria and b) the wider cost of schooling:

Making admissions policies fairer:

• Include pupil premium students in oversubscription priority criteria.  The Schools Admissions Code currently allows for the use of pupil premium status as an oversubscription criterion, so more schools, particularly high performing schools, should move to implement this in order to create a more socially balanced intake and better reflect their local communities. This could for example mean giving pupil premium students priority up to the average proportion of those students in the local area, or up to a set level higher than this group’s proportion in the school’s current intake.
• Introducing either ballots or a banding system to determine the allocation of places when the school is oversubscribed.  Introducing pupil premium priority is likely to help to improve access for the most disadvantaged pupils but will not necessarily alter the wider socio-economic mix of the student body. Introducing a system of ballots or banding has the potential to make a school’s intake more representative across the socio-economic spectrum.
• Ballots are where potential students are selected for admission using a lottery, meaning everyone entered for a place via the ballot has an equal chance of getting in. This could be done as a full ballot for all places or used only for a proportion of the school’s intake, such as ‘marginal lotteries’. This is where most school places could be allocated on the basis of existing criteria with a smaller proportion, say 20%, reserved for applicants outside the catchment allocated by lottery. The appropriate balance of ballot allocated places will depend on a school’s specific circumstances, including the profile of the neighbourhoods around the school.
• Banding tests are currently used by a number of schools. Pupils sit an entrance test, but rather than allocating places based on ability, places are allocated equally across all ability ‘bands’. This means a balance of abilities are admitted, which is likely to have a knock-on effect on the socio-economic profile of the school. Banding is most effective when there is cooperation between schools in an area, and where all children are entered for banding tests, with tests ideally being carried out in local primary schools. Groups of schools should thus be encouraged to develop a shared approach to admissions, possibly facilitated by a local authority or a local admissions forum.
• Particular care should be taken by schools with additional admissions criteria, including faith schools or those with a focus on a specific subject specialism (such as musical aptitude).  This work has shown that on average faith schools are consistently more socially selective than non-religious schools. These schools should therefore take particular care to ensure their criteria are not contributing to socio-economic inequalities in access. This could be done, for example, by implementing policies such as pupil premium priority and having this priority apply before any of their own specific admissions criteria.

Reducing the cost of attending the school:

• School leaders should ensure that wherever possible, they remove potential financial barriers to attendance at their school.  Financial concerns are a significant factor for parents from low-income households when making school choices. Therefore, schools should look to reduce these costs wherever practically possible. Unnecessary costs can include expensive uniforms, extensive equipment lists or expansive costs for trips or extra-curricular activities. On uniforms specifically, schools should commit to having no more than one branded item in their uniform, keeping total uniform costs under (or as near as possible to) £100 and ensuring second hand items are available for purchase or for free. Schools should also avoid collaborating with single uniform suppliers where possible, as this often increases the cost of uniforms. Where costs on any of these items cannot be avoided, schools should look to give financial support to lower income families, and to clearly advertise the availability of this support on the admissions pages of their website and at open days.
• Secondary and primary schools should collaborate to ensure that parents are well informed before making school choices, especially regarding their rights to free transport to school.  For children eligible for FSM this extends to their three nearest suitable schools within six miles of their home, 15 miles for a faith school or up to 15 miles to their closest grammar school. Schools should ensure parents are aware of this support, and given information on how to access it, when making school choices
• The government should review existing admissions code policies, including making pupil premium eligibility a required part of school’s oversubscription criteria. As well as requiring schools to include pupil premium, they should also ensure schools justify where it is placed within the order of their oversubscription criteria. Schools should be able to decide if this is an unlimited priority for this group, or whether it applies up to a certain proportion or number (e.g. the proportion of pupil premium students in the local authority, or nationally), but would need a justification behind their decision. Where schools use distance from the school or a defined catchment area among their oversubscription criteria, these should not apply to pupil premium eligible students.
• The government should hold schools accountable for the fairness of their admissions policies. School admissions policies should be better regulated, with a focus on improving access. Schools should be held accountable for their admissions policies and the impact of those policies on the socio-economic mix of their student body. Socio-economic inclusion should form part of the new Ofsted report cards.
• Government should review current eligibility for free school transport, so that it does not become a hidden barrier to parental choice. This could include extending eligibility to all pupils eligible for pupil premium (and, therefore, those eligible for FSM in the last six years), so that families have greater certainty about the support that will be available over a longer time period. Current support also limits parents to support in a relatively small geographical area, which is likely to be particularly limiting for families in lower density or more rural areas, who could have few schools within the current maximum distance of six miles. Government should look at greater flexibility or extending the maximum distance within which this support is available.
• Government should do more to ensure the cost of school uniforms is not a barrier for school choice, by strengthening existing rules and guidelines. Existing government guidance requires school governing bodies to ‘consider’ issues related to uniform costs but falls short of stipulating concrete actions. The government should impose limits in key areas. This could include only allowing one piece of branded uniform, and not allowing single suppliers for uniforms unless this can be shown to lead to more economical outcomes for parents.
• The government should work to raise the quality of all schools, with a view to increasing the representativeness of their intakes compared to their surrounding areas and making the school system fairer. Reducing FSM gaps in schools and a more equal school system are likely to be a virtuous circle. Previous Sutton Trust research has found that schools serving disadvantaged communities experience greater difficulties in, for instance, teacher recruitment and retention, particularly in secondary schools. Data here has found the greatest disparities between the social make up of schools and their catchment areas, and lowest number of top schools, concentrated in some parts of the country with the highest FSM rates. The government should make extra funding and resources available for tackling such issues at the local level in the most disadvantaged areas.

Related research

Our latest research highlighting social selectivity in school admissions.

Attitudes to school admissions and how we can make them fairer.

Selective Comprehensives considers whether policy changes have had an impact on social selection in comprehensive schools.

• Open access
• Published: 02 September 2024

Leadership support and satisfaction of healthcare professionals in China’s leading hospitals: a cross-sectional study

• Jinhong Zhao 1 , 2 ,
• Tingfang Liu 2 &
• Yuanli Liu 2  

BMC Health Services Research volume  24 , Article number:  1016 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Healthcare professionals’ job satisfaction is a critical indicator of healthcare performance, pivotal in addressing challenges such as hospital quality outcomes, patient satisfaction, and staff retention rates. Existing evidence underscores the significant influence of healthcare leadership on job satisfaction. Our study aims to assess the impact of leadership support on the satisfaction of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and administrative staff, in China’s leading hospitals.

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted on healthcare professionals in three leading hospitals in China from July to December 2021. These hospitals represent three regions in China with varying levels of social and economic development, one in the eastern region, one in the central region, and the third in the western region. Within each hospital, we employed a convenience sampling method to conduct a questionnaire survey involving 487 healthcare professionals. We assessed perceived leadership support across five dimensions: resource support, environmental support, decision support, research support, and innovation encouragement. Simultaneously, we measured satisfaction using the MSQ among healthcare professionals.

The overall satisfaction rate among surveyed healthcare professionals was 74.33%. Our study revealed significant support from senior leadership in hospitals for encouraging research (96.92%), inspiring innovation (96.30%), and fostering a positive work environment (93.63%). However, lower levels of support were perceived in decision-making (81.72%) and resource allocation (80.08%). Using binary logistic regression with satisfaction as the dependent variable and healthcare professionals’ perceived leadership support, hospital origin, job role, department, gender, age, education level, and professional designation as independent variables, the results indicated that support in resource provision (OR: 4.312, 95% CI: 2.412  ∼  7.710) and environmental facilitation (OR: 4.052, 95% CI: 1.134  ∼  14.471) significantly enhances healthcare personnel satisfaction.

The findings underscore the critical role of leadership support in enhancing job satisfaction among healthcare professionals. For hospital administrators and policymakers, the study highlights the need to focus on three key dimensions: providing adequate resources, creating a supportive environment, and involving healthcare professionals in decision-making processes.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

In the era of accelerated globalization, the investigation of global leadership has assumed heightened significance [ 1 ]. Leadership, as a dynamic and evolving process, holds the potential to cultivate both the personal and professional growth of followers [ 2 ]. Effective healthcare leadership can enhance medical service quality, patient safety, and staff job satisfaction through skill development, vision establishment, and clear direction-setting [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Moreover, leadership support can effectively enhance staff well-being and work efficiency [ 6 , 7 ]. For example, Mendes et al. found that the quality of healthcare is significantly influenced by four dimensions of leadership: communication, recognition, development, and innovation [ 8 ]. Additionally, Shanafelt et al. discovered that leaders can effectively reduce employee burnout and subsequently improve the quality of medical services by formulating and implementing targeted work interventions and motivating employees [ 9 ].

Job satisfaction among healthcare professionals is a crucial indicator of healthcare performance, playing a vital role in addressing challenges related to hospital quality outcomes, patient satisfaction, and nurse retention rates [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Researchers from different national backgrounds have conducted studies on the job satisfaction of healthcare workers across various disciplines. For example, Balasubramanian et al. examined the satisfaction of immigrant dentists in Australia [ 14 ], Mascari et al. studied physicians and hospital researchers in the United States [ 15 ], and Rosta et al. investigated the satisfaction of doctors in Norway [ 12 ]. Research has demonstrated that characteristics of the work environment, balanced workloads, relationships with colleagues, career opportunities, and leadership support all influence job satisfaction [ 16 ]. Several instruments are commonly used to measure job satisfaction, each relevant depending on the context and discipline. For instance, the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) focuses on different facets of job satisfaction such as work, pay, promotion, supervision, and co-workers [ 17 ]. The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) covers similar dimensions and is particularly useful in public sector organizations due to its comprehensive nature and ease of use [ 18 ]. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) is a comprehensive tool that assesses employee satisfaction across multiple dimensions including intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction, and is commonly used for evaluating job satisfaction in the healthcare field [ 19 ].

Recent studies have linked leadership to healthcare professionals’ job satisfaction, highlighting the pivotal role of leadership in guiding, coordinating, and motivating employees [ 5 ]. For instance, the Mayo Clinic found that leadership from immediate supervisors could alleviate burnout and increase job satisfaction [ 20 ]. Choi’s research indicated that leadership empowerment significantly enhances nursing staff’s job satisfaction [ 21 ]. Additionally, Liu discovered that the support provided by hospital senior leadership is closely associated with employee satisfaction [ 22 ].

In China, while leadership research has gained some traction in areas such as business and education, it remains relatively scarce within healthcare institutions. Existing studies primarily focus on the nursing sector, and comprehensive assessments of leadership at the leading public hospitals (top 10% of Chinese hospitals) have not been extensively conducted [ 23 , 24 ]. Research on leadership and healthcare professionals’ satisfaction often relies on single indicators to measure job satisfaction, such as overall job satisfaction or specific aspects like compensation satisfaction and burnout levels [ 25 ]. This narrow focus may fail to fully capture the multidimensional nature of employee satisfaction, which includes aspects such as workload, ability utilization, sense of achievement, initiative, training and self-development, and interpersonal communication [ 26 ]. Additionally, most existing studies focus on the job satisfaction of nurses or physicians in isolation, lacking comparative research across different groups within healthcare institutions, such as doctors, nurses, and administrative personnel [ 27 , 28 , 29 ].

Therefore, this study utilized the MSQ to conduct a thorough assessment of employee satisfaction and assess the impact of leadership support on the satisfaction of healthcare personnel in China’s leading public hospitals. Through this research, we aim to enhance the core competitiveness of hospitals and provide valuable data to support leadership assessments in developing countries’ healthcare institutions. Moreover, this study seeks to contribute to the broader international understanding of effective leadership practices in China’s leading public hospitals, with implications for global health management strategies.

Study design and participants

From July to December 2021, a cross-sectional survey study was conducted on healthcare professionals in China’s 3 leading hospitals. The 3 leading hospitals represent three regions in China with different levels of social and economic development, one in the eastern, one in the central, and one in the western. In each hospital, a convenience sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among physicians, nurses, and administrative staff.

Criteria for inclusion of healthcare professionals: (1) employed at the hospital for at least 1 year or more; (2) formal employees of the hospital (full-time staff); (3) possessing cognitive clarity and the ability to independently understand and respond to electronic questionnaires, as assessed by their leaders. Exclusion criteria: (1) diagnosed with mental health disorders that impair their ability to participate, as identified by the hospital’s mental health professionals; (2) unable to communicate effectively due to severe language barriers, hearing impairments, or other communication disorders, as determined by their direct supervisors or relevant medical evaluations; (3) visiting scholars, interns, or graduate students currently enrolled in a degree program.

Instrument development

Leadership support.

In reference to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework and Supporting Relationship Theory [ 6 , 30 , 31 ], we determined the survey scale after three expert discussions involving 5–7 individuals. These experts included personnel from health administrative departments, leading public hospital leaders, middle management, and researchers specializing in hospital management. Their collective expertise ensured that the survey comprehensively assessed leadership support within hospitals from the perspective of healthcare personnel. The Leadership Support Scale consists of 5 items: Environmental Support: ‘My leaders provide a work environment that helps me perform my job,’ Resource Support: ‘My leaders provide the resources needed to improve my work,’ Decision Support: ‘My leaders support my decisions to satisfy patients,’ Research Support: ‘My leaders support my application for scientific research projects,’ and Innovation Encouragement: ‘My leaders encourage me to innovate actively and think about problems in new ways‘ (Supplementary material). All questionnaire items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the 5-item scale is 0.753.

Job satisfaction

The measurement of job satisfaction was carried out using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) [ 32 , 33 ], which has been widely used and has been shown by scholars to have good reliability and validity in China [ 34 , 35 ]. The questionnaire consists of 20 items that measure healthcare personnel’s satisfaction with various aspects of their job, including individual job load, ability utilization, achievement, initiative, hospital training and self-development, authority, hospital policies and practices, compensation, teamwork, creativity, independence, moral standards, hospital rewards and punishments, personal responsibility, job security, social service contribution, social status, employee relations and communication, and hospital working conditions and environment. Responses to these items were balanced and rated on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 = Very Dissatisfied, 2 = Dissatisfied, 3 = Neither Dissatisfied nor Satisfied, 4 = Satisfied, and 5 = Very Satisfied. Scores range from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating higher satisfaction. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of healthcare personnel’s job satisfaction was made using a score of 80 and above [ 32 ], where a score of ≥ 80 was considered satisfied, and below 80 was considered dissatisfied. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the questionnaire in this survey was 0.983.

Investigation process

The survey was administered through an online platform “Wenjuanxing”, and distributed by department heads to healthcare professionals within their respective departments. The selection of departments and potential participants followed a structured process: (1) Potential participants were identified based on the inclusion criteria, which were communicated to the department heads. (2) Department heads received a digital link to the survey, which they forwarded to eligible staff members via email or internal communication platforms. (3) The informed consent form was integrated into the survey link, detailing the research objectives, ensuring anonymity, and emphasizing voluntary participation. At the beginning of the online survey, participants were asked if they agreed to participate. Those who consented continued with the survey, while those who did not agree were directed to end the survey immediately.

According to Kendall’s experience and methodology, the sample size can be 5–10 times the number of independent variables (40 items) [ 36 , 37 ]. Our sample size is ten times the number of independent variables. Considering potentially disqualified questionnaires, the sample size was increased by 10%, resulting in a minimum total sample size of 460. Therefore, we distributed 500 survey questionnaires.

Data analysis

We summarized the sociodemographic characteristics of healthcare personnel survey samples using descriptive statistical methods. For all variables, we calculated the frequencies and percentages of categorical variables. Different sociodemographic characteristics in relation to healthcare personnel’s perception of leadership support and satisfaction were analyzed using the Pearson χ² test. We employed a binary logistic regression model to estimate the risk ratio of healthcare personnel satisfaction under different levels of leadership support. Estimates from three sequentially adjusted models were reported to transparently demonstrate the impact of various adjustments: (1) unadjusted; (2) adjusted for hospital of origin; (3) adjusted for hospital of origin, gender, age, education level, job type, and department. For the binary logistic regression model, we employed a backward stepwise regression approach, with inclusion at P  < 0.05 and exclusion at P  > 0.10 criteria. In all analyses, a two-tailed p -value of < 0.05 was considered significant, and all analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Demographic characteristics and job satisfaction

This study recruited a total of 500 healthcare personnel from hospitals to participate in the survey, with 487 valid questionnaires collected, resulting in an effective response rate of 97.4%. The majority of participants were female (77.21%), with ages concentrated between 30 and 49 years old (73.71%). The predominant job titles were mid-level (45.17%) and junior-level (27.31%), and educational backgrounds were mostly at the undergraduate (45.17%) and graduate (48.25%) levels. The marital status of most participants was married (79.88%), and their primary departments were surgery (38.19%) and internal medicine (24.85%). The overall satisfaction rate among the sampled healthcare personnel was 74.33%. Differences in satisfaction were statistically significant among healthcare personnel of different genders, ages, educational levels, job types, hospitals, and departments ( P  < 0.05). Table  1 displays the participants’ demographic characteristics and job satisfaction.

By analyzed the satisfaction level of healthcare personnel in different dimensions, the results show that “Social service” (94.3%) and “Moral values” (92.0%) have the highest satisfaction. “Activity” (66.8%) and “Compensation” (71.9%) were the least satisfied. Table  2 shows participants’ job satisfaction in different dimensions.

Perception of different types of leadership support among healthcare professionals

Overall, surveyed healthcare personnel perceived significant levels of support from hospital leadership for research encouragement (96.92%), innovation inspiration (96.30%), and the work environment (93.63%), while perceiving lower levels of support for decision-making (81.72%) and resource allocation (80.08%). Female healthcare personnel perceived significantly higher levels of resource support compared to males ( P  < 0.05). Healthcare personnel in the 30–39 age group perceived significantly higher levels of resource, environmental, and research support compared to other age groups ( P  < 0.05). Healthcare personnel with senior-level job titles perceived significantly lower levels of resource and decision-making support compared to associate-level and lower job titles, and those with doctoral degrees perceived significantly lower levels of resource support compared to other educational backgrounds ( P  < 0.05).

Clinical doctors perceived significantly lower levels of resource and environmental support compared to administrative personnel and clinical nurses, while administrative personnel perceived significantly lower levels of decision-making support compared to clinical doctors and clinical nurses ( P  < 0.05). Among healthcare personnel in internal medicine, perceptions of resource, environmental, research, and innovation support were significantly lower than those in surgery, administration, and other departments, whereas perceptions of decision-making support in administrative departments were significantly lower than in internal medicine, surgery, and other departments ( P  < 0.05). Figure  1 displays the perception of leadership support among healthcare personnel with different demographic characteristics.

Perception of leadership support among healthcare professionals with different demographic characteristics in China’s leading public hospitals (* indicates P  < 0.05, ** indicates P  < 0.01, and *** indicates P  < 0.001.)

The impact of leadership support on job satisfaction among healthcare professionals

The study results indicate that healthcare personnel who perceive that their leaders provide sufficient resource, environmental, and decision-making support have significantly higher job satisfaction than those who feel that leaders have not provided enough support ( P  < 0.05). Similarly, healthcare personnel who perceive that their leaders provide sufficient research and innovation inspiration have significantly higher job satisfaction than those who believe leaders have not provided enough inspiration ( P  < 0.05). Table  3 displays the univariate analysis of leadership support on healthcare professional satisfaction.

With healthcare personnel satisfaction as the dependent variable, leadership resource support, environmental support, decision-making support, research support, and innovation inspiration were included in the binary logistic regression model. After adjusting for hospital, gender, age, education level, job type, and department, leadership’s increased resource support (OR: 4.312, 95% CI: 2.412  ∼  7.710) and environmental support (OR: 4.052, 95% CI: 1.134  ∼  14.471) were found to enhance the satisfaction levels of healthcare personnel significantly. Additionally, healthcare professionals in Hospital 2 (OR: 3.654, 95% CI: 1.796 to 7.435) and Hospital 3 (OR: 2.354, 95% CI: 1.099 to 5.038) exhibited higher levels of satisfaction compared to those in Hospital 1. Table 4 displays the binary Logistic regression analysis of leadership support on satisfaction among healthcare professionals.

This study aimed to determine the impact of support from hospital senior leadership on the job satisfaction of healthcare personnel and to explore the effects of demographic and different types of support on the job satisfaction of healthcare personnel in China. The research indicates that hospital leadership’s resource support, environmental support, and decision-making support have a significantly positive impact on the job satisfaction of healthcare personnel. These forms of support can assist healthcare personnel in better adapting to the constantly changing work environment and demands, thereby enhancing their job satisfaction, and ultimately, positively influencing the overall performance of the hospital and the quality of patient care.

Our research indicates that, using the same MSQ to measure job satisfaction, the job satisfaction among healthcare personnel in China’s top-tier hospitals is at 74.33%, which is higher than the results of a nationwide survey in 2016 (48.22%) [ 38 ] and a survey among doctors in Shanghai in 2013 (35.2%) in China [ 39 ]. This improvement is likely due to the Chinese government’s recent focus on healthcare personnel’s compensation and benefits, along with corresponding improvement measures, which have increased their job satisfaction. It’s worth noting that while job satisfaction among healthcare personnel in China’s top-tier hospitals is higher than the national average in China, it is slightly lower than the job satisfaction of doctors in the United States, as measured by the MSQ (81.73%) [ 40 ]. However, when compared to the job satisfaction by the MSQ of doctors in Southern Nigeria (26.7%) [ 32 ], nurses in South Korea (65.89%) [ 41 ], and nurses in Iran (59.7%) [ 42 ], the level of job satisfaction among healthcare personnel in China’s top-tier hospitals is significantly higher. This suggests that China has achieved some level of success in improving healthcare personnel’s job satisfaction. Studies have shown that for healthcare professionals, job satisfaction is influenced by work conditions, compensation, and opportunities for promotion, with varying levels of satisfaction observed across different cultural backgrounds and specialties [ 29 , 43 ]. Furthermore, the observed differences in job satisfaction levels can be influenced by cultural factors unique to China, including hierarchical workplace structures and the emphasis on collective well-being over individual recognition.

Leadership support can influence employees’ work attitudes and emotions. Effective leaders can establish a positive work environment, and provide constructive feedback, thereby enhancing employee job satisfaction [ 44 , 45 ]. Our research results show that clinical physicians perceive significantly lower levels of resource and environmental support compared to administrative staff and clinical nurses, while administrative staff perceive significantly lower levels of decision-making support compared to clinical physicians and clinical nurses. This difference can be attributed to their different roles and job nature within the healthcare team [ 9 ]. Nurses typically have direct patient care responsibilities, performing medical procedures, providing care, and monitoring patient conditions, making them in greater need of resource and environmental support to efficiently deliver high-quality care [ 46 ]. Doctors usually have responsibilities for clinical diagnosis and treatment, requiring better healthcare environments and resources due to their serious commitment to patients’ lives. Administrative staff often oversee the hospital’s day-to-day operations and management, including budgeting, resource allocation, and personnel management. Their work may be more organizationally oriented, involving strategic planning and management decisions. Therefore, they may require more decision-making support to succeed at the managerial level [ 47 ].

The job satisfaction of healthcare personnel is influenced by various factors, including the work environment, workload, career development, and leadership support [ 48 , 49 ]. When healthcare personnel are satisfied with their work, their job enthusiasm increases, contributing to higher patient satisfaction. Healthcare organizations should assess the leadership and management qualities of each hospital to enhance their leadership capabilities. This will directly impact employee satisfaction, retention rates, and patient satisfaction [ 50 ]. Resource support provided by leaders, such as data, human resources, financial resources, equipment resources, supplies (such as medications), and training opportunities, significantly influences the job satisfaction of healthcare personnel [ 51 ]. From a theoretical perspective, researchers believe that leaders’ behavior, by providing resources to followers, is one of the primary ways to influence employee satisfaction [ 7 ]. These resources can assist healthcare personnel in better fulfilling their job responsibilities, improving work efficiency, and thereby enhancing their job satisfaction.

In hospital organizations, leaders play a crucial role in shaping the work environment for healthcare personnel and providing decision-making support [ 52 , 53 ]. Hospital leaders are committed to ensuring the safety of the work environment for their employees by formulating and promoting policies and regulations. They also play a key role in actively identifying and addressing issues in the work environment, including conflicts among employees and resource shortages. These initiatives are aimed at continuously improving working conditions, enabling healthcare personnel to better fulfill their duties [ 54 ]. The actions of these leaders not only contribute to improving the job satisfaction of healthcare personnel but also create the necessary foundation for providing high-quality healthcare services.

It is worth noting that our research results show that in the context of leading public hospitals in China, leadership support for research, encouragement of innovation, and decision-making do not appear to significantly enhance the job satisfaction of healthcare personnel, which differs from some international literature [ 23 , 55 , 56 ]. International studies often suggest that fostering innovation is particularly important in influencing healthcare personnel’s job satisfaction [ 57 , 58 ]. Inspiring a shared vision is particularly important in motivating nursing staff and enhancing their job satisfaction and organizational commitment [ 59 ]. This may reflect the Chinese healthcare personnel’s perception of leadership’s innovation encouragement, scientific research encouragement, and decision support, but it does not significantly improve their job satisfaction. However, material support (resources and environment) can significantly increase their satisfaction.

Strengths and limitations of this study

For the first time, we analyzed the role of perceived leadership support in enhancing healthcare providers in China’s leading public hospitals. We assessed the impact of perceived leadership on healthcare professional satisfaction across five dimensions: resources, environment, decision-making, research, and innovation. The sample includes physicians, nurses, and administrative staff, providing a comprehensive understanding of leadership support’s impact on diverse positions and professional groups.

However, it’s important to note that this study exclusively recruited healthcare professionals from three leading public hospitals in China, limiting the generalizability of the research findings. Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of the study means that causality cannot be established. There is also a potential for response bias as the data were collected through self-reported questionnaires. Furthermore, the use of convenience sampling may introduce selection bias, and the reliance on electronic questionnaires may exclude those less comfortable with digital technology.

Implications for research and practice

The results of this study provide important empirical evidence supporting the significance of leadership assessment in the context of Chinese hospitals. Specifically, the findings underscore the critical role of leadership support in enhancing job satisfaction among healthcare professionals, which has implications for hospital operational efficiency and the quality of patient care. For hospital administrators and policymakers, the study highlights the need to prioritize leadership development programs that focus on the three dimensions of leadership support: resources, environment, and decision-making. Implementing targeted interventions in these areas can lead to improved job satisfaction. Moreover, this study serves as a foundation for comparative research across different cultural and organizational contexts, contributing to a deeper understanding of how leadership practices can be optimized to meet the unique needs of healthcare professionals in various regions.

Our study found a close positive correlation between leadership support in Chinese leading public hospitals and employee job satisfaction. They achieve this by providing ample resources to ensure employees can effectively fulfill their job responsibilities. Furthermore, they create a comfortable work environment and encourage active employee participation. By nurturing outstanding leadership and support, hospitals can enhance employee job satisfaction, leading to improved overall performance and service quality. This is crucial for providing high-quality healthcare and meeting patient needs.

Data availability

Data are available upon reasonable request.

Kempster S, Parry KW. Grounded theory and leadership research: a critical realist perspective. Leadersh Q. 2011;22(1):106–20.

Article   Google Scholar  

Northouse PG. Leadership: Theory and Practice: Leadership: Theory and Practice; 2014.

Mosadeghrad AM. Factors affecting medical service quality. Iran J Public Health. 2014;43(2):210.

PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

de Vries JM, Curtis EA. Nursing leadership in Ireland: experiences and obstacles. Leadersh Health Serv. 2019;32(3):348–63.

Boamah SA, Laschinger HKS, Wong C, Clarke S. Effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction and patient safety outcomes. Nurs Outlook. 2018;66(2):180–9.

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Likert R. The human organization: its management and values. 1967.

Inceoglu I, Thomas G, Chu C, Plans D, Gerbasi A. Leadership behavior and employee well-being: an integrated review and a future research agenda. Leadersh Q. 2018;29(1):179–202.

Mendes L, Fradique MJJG. Influence of leadership on quality nursing care. Int J Health Care Qual Assur. 2014;27(5):439–50.

Shanafelt TD, Noseworthy JH, editors. Executive leadership and physician well-being: nine organizational strategies to promote engagement and reduce burnout. Mayo Clinic Proceedings; 2017: Elsevier.

Aiken LH, Clarke SP, Sloane DM, Sochalski J, Silber JH. Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. JAMA. 2002;288(16):1987–93.

Cicolini G, Comparcini D, Simonetti V. Workplace empowerment and nurses’ job satisfaction: a systematic literature review. J Nurs Manag. 2014;22(7):855–71.

Rosta J, Aasland OG, Nylenna M. Changes in job satisfaction among doctors in Norway from 2010 to 2017: a study based on repeated surveys. BMJ open. 2019;9(9):e027891.

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Zhang Z, Shi G, Li L, Bian Y. Job satisfaction among primary care physicians in western China. BMC Fam Pract. 2020;21:1–10.

Balasubramanian M, Spencer AJ, Short SD, Watkins K, Chrisopoulos S, Brennan DS. Job satisfaction among ‘migrant dentists’ in Australia: implications for dentist migration and workforce policy. Aust Dent J. 2016;61(2):174–82.

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Mascari C. Job satisfaction of doctors vs. researchers in the US University Hospital Environment: a comparative case study. Northcentral University; 2020.

Friedberg MW, Chen PG, Van Busum KR, Aunon F, Pham C, Caloyeras J et al. Factors affecting physician professional satisfaction and their implications for patient care, health systems, and health policy. Rand Health Q. 2014;3(4).

Nhung DTH, Linh TM. Identifying work-related factors influencing job satisfaction using job descriptive index questionnaire: a study of IT companies in Hanoi. J Int Econ Manage. 2021;21(1):63–85.

Gomez Garcia R, Alonso Sangregorio M, Lucía Llamazares Sánchez M. Evaluation of job satisfaction in a sample of Spanish social workers through the ‘Job satisfaction survey’scale. Eur J Social Work. 2018;21(1):140–54.

Walkowiak D, Staszewski R. The job satisfaction of Polish nurses as measured with the Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire. J Public Health Nurs Med Rescue. 2019;4:34–40.

Google Scholar  

Dyrbye LN, Major-Elechi B, Hays JT, Fraser CH, Buskirk SJ, West CP, editors. Relationship between organizational leadership and health care employee burnout and satisfaction. Mayo Clinic Proceedings; 2020: Elsevier.

Choi SL, Goh CF, Adam MBH, Tan OK. Transformational leadership, empowerment, and job satisfaction: the mediating role of employee empowerment. Hum Resour Health. 2016;14:1–14.

Liu W, Zhao S, Shi L, Zhang Z, Liu X, Li L, et al. Workplace violence, job satisfaction, burnout, perceived organisational support and their effects on turnover intention among Chinese nurses in tertiary hospitals: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open. 2018;8(6):e019525.

Wang X, Chontawan R, Nantsupawat R. Transformational leadership: effect on the job satisfaction of registered nurses in a hospital in China. J Adv Nurs. 2012;68(2):444–51.

Wang L, Tao H, Bowers BJ, Brown R, Zhang Y. When nurse emotional intelligence matters: how transformational leadership influences intent to stay. J Nurs Manag. 2018;26(4):358–65.

Adamopoulos IP. Job satisfaction in public health care sector, measures scales and theoretical background. Eur J Environ Public Health. 2022;6(2):em0116.

Montano D, Reeske A, Franke F, Hüffmeier J. Leadership, followers’ mental health and job performance in organizations: a comprehensive meta-analysis from an occupational health perspective. J Organizational Behav. 2017;38(3):327–50.

Carlson MA, Morris S, Day F, Dadich A, Ryan A, Fradgley EA, Paul C. Psychometric properties of leadership scales for health professionals: a systematic review. Implement Sci. 2021;16(1):85.

Aiken LH, Sermeus W, Van den Heede K, Sloane DM, Busse R, McKee M et al. Patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of hospital care: cross sectional surveys of nurses and patients in 12 countries in Europe and the United States. BMJ. 2012;344.

Cunningham R, Westover J, Harvey J. Drivers of job satisfaction among healthcare professionals: a quantitative review. Int J Healthc Manag. 2023;16(4):534–42.

Foster TC, Johnson JK, Nelson EC, Batalden PB. Using a Malcolm Baldrige framework to understand high-performing clinical microsystems. BMJ Qual Saf. 2007;16(5):334–41.

Shields JA, Jennings JL. Using the Malcolm Baldrige are we making progress survey for organizational self-assessment and performance improvement. J Healthc Qual. 2013;35(4):5–15.

Bello S, Adewole DA, Afolabi RF. Work facets predicting overall job satisfaction among resident doctors in selected teaching hospitals in Southern Nigeria: a Minnesota satisfaction Questionnaire Survey. J Occup Health Epidemiol. 2020;9(1):52–60.

Ozyurt A, Hayran O, Sur H. Predictors of burnout and job satisfaction among Turkish physicians. J Association Physicians. 2006;99(3):161–9.

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Wang YY, Xiong Y, Zhang Y, Li CY, Fu LL, Luo HL, Sun Y. Compassion fatigue among haemodialysis nurses in public and private hospitals in China. Int J Nurs Pract. 2022;28(1):e13011.

Jiang F, Hu L, Rakofsky J, Liu T, Wu S, Zhao P, et al. Sociodemographic characteristics and job satisfaction of psychiatrists in China: results from the first nationwide survey. Psychiatric Serv. 2018;69(12):1245–51.

Kendall MG. Note on bias in the estimation of autocorrelation. Biometrika. 1954;41(3–4):403–4.

Hinkle DE, Wiersma W, Jurs SG. Applied statistics for the behavioral sciences. Houghton Mifflin college division; 2003.

Zhou H, Han X, Zhang J, Sun J, Hu L, Hu G et al. Job satisfaction and Associated Factors among medical staff in Tertiary Public hospitals: results from a National Cross-sectional Survey in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(7).

Liu J, Yu W, Ding T, Li M, Zhang L. Cross-sectional survey on job satisfaction and its associated factors among doctors in tertiary public hospitals in Shanghai, China. BMJ Open. 2019;9(3):e023823.

Ritter B. Senior healthcare leaders: exploring the relationship between the rates of job satisfaction and person-job value congruence. Int J Healthc Manag. 2021;14(1):85–90.

Shin S, Oh SJ, Kim J, Lee I, Bae SH. Impact of nurse staffing on intent to leave, job satisfaction, and occupational injuries in Korean hospitals: a cross-sectional study. Nurs Health Sci. 2020;22(3):658–66.

Shahrbabaki PM, Abolghaseminejad P, Lari LA, Zeidabadinejad S, Dehghan M. The relationship between nurses’ psychological resilience and job satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study in Iran. BMC Nurs. 2023;22(1):137.

Shanafelt TD, Hasan O, Dyrbye LN, Sinsky C, Satele D, Sloan J, West CP. Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Balance in Physicians and the General US Working Population Between 2011 and 2014. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015;90(12):1600-13.

Laschinger HKS, Wong CA, Grau AL. The influence of authentic leadership on newly graduated nurses’ experiences of workplace bullying, burnout and retention outcomes: a cross-sectional study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2012;49(10):1266–76.

Chang C-S. Moderating effects of nurses’ organizational support on the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. West J Nurs Res. 2015;37(6):724–45.

Lake ET, Friese CR. Variations in nursing practice environments: relation to staffing and hospital characteristics. Nurs Res. 2006;55(1):1–9.

Bååthe F, Erik Norbäck L. Engaging physicians in organisational improvement work. J Health Organ Manag. 2013;27(4):479–97.

Zhang M, Zhu CJ, Dowling PJ, Bartram T. Exploring the effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on the work-related well-being of Chinese hospital employees. Int J Hum Resource Manage. 2013;24(16):3196–212.

Baek H, Han K, Ryu E. Authentic leadership, job satisfaction and organizational commitment: the moderating effect of nurse tenure. J Nurs Adm Manag. 2019;27(8):1655–63.

Robbins B, Davidhizar R. Transformational leadership in health care today. Health Care Manag. 2020;39(3):117–21.

Hussain MK, Khayat RAM. The impact of transformational leadership on job satisfaction and organisational commitment among hospital staff: a systematic review. J Health Manage. 2021;23(4):614–30.

Mete M, Goldman C, Shanafelt T, Marchalik D. Impact of leadership behaviour on physician well-being, burnout, professional fulfilment and intent to leave: a multicentre cross-sectional survey study. BMJ open. 2022;12(6):e057554.

Avolio BJ, Walumbwa FO, Weber TJ, Leadership. Current theories, research, and future directions. Ann Rev Psychol. 2009;60:421–49.

Zhang L-f, You L-m, Liu K, Zheng J, Fang J-b, Lu M-m, et al. The association of Chinese hospital work environment with nurse burnout, job satisfaction, and intention to leave. Nurs Outlook. 2014;62(2):128–37.

Cummings G, Estabrooks CA. The effects of hospital restructuring that included layoffs on individual nurses who remained employed: a systematic review of impact. Int J Sociol Soc Policy. 2003;23(8/9):8–53.

Laschinger HKS, Finegan J, Shamian J. The impact of workplace empowerment, organizational trust on staff nurses’ work satisfaction and organizational commitment. Health Care Manage Rev. 2001:7–23.

Wong CA, Laschinger HKS. The influence of frontline manager job strain on burnout, commitment and turnover intention: a cross-sectional study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2015;52(12):1824–33.

Alrowwad Aa, Abualoush SH. Masa’deh re. Innovation and intellectual capital as intermediary variables among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and organizational performance. J Manage Dev. 2020;39(2):196–222.

Chiok Foong Loke J. Leadership behaviours: effects on job satisfaction, productivity and organizational commitment. J Nurs Adm Manag. 2001;9(4):191–204.

Download references

This study was funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2020-RC630-001), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (3332022166), and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2021-I2M-1-046).

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100035, China

Jinhong Zhao

School of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China

Jinhong Zhao, Tingfang Liu & Yuanli Liu

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

JZ, TL, and YL designed the study. JZ collected the original data in China, reviewed the literature, performed the analyses, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. TL and YL critically revised the manuscript. All authors contributed to the interpretation of data and the final approved version.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tingfang Liu or Yuanli Liu .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval.

This study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College Institutional Review Board (CAMS & PUMC-IRC-2020-026). The survey was distributed by department heads and included informed consent and survey materials. The informed consent form described the research objectives, assured anonymity, emphasized voluntary participation, and instructed participants to complete the questionnaire through the online system. The statement ‘No signature is required, completing the survey implies consent to participate in the study’ implies implied consent.

Patient and public involvement Statement

Patients or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct of our study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Material 1

Rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Zhao, J., Liu, T. & Liu, Y. Leadership support and satisfaction of healthcare professionals in China’s leading hospitals: a cross-sectional study. BMC Health Serv Res 24 , 1016 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11449-3

Download citation

Received : 07 January 2024

Accepted : 16 August 2024

Published : 02 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11449-3

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Hospital leadership
• Satisfaction
• Healthcare professional

BMC Health Services Research

ISSN: 1472-6963

• General enquiries: [email protected]

More people now take an inclusive approach to who can call themselves British

• Publishing date: 3 September 2024

As Britain has become a more diverse society, people’s understanding of what it means to be British, an identity acknowledged by almost two-thirds of the population (64%), has shifted. 

The latest chapter of the 41st British Social Attitudes (BSA) report, published today by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), finds that over the last decade, there has been a sharp fall in the proportion who believe someone’s family background is important to them being ‘truly British’.

The proportion who think it is important that someone was born in Britain has fallen from 74% in 2013 to 55% today. Similarly, those who believe it is important to have British ancestry has dropped from 51% to 39%.

In contrast, as many as 86% believe it is important to ‘respect British political institutions and laws’, similar to the 85% who expressed that view in 2013.

Overall, two-thirds (68%) could be classified as primarily having a ‘civic’, inclusive understanding of British identity, while just under one in five (19%) think of Britishness primarily in ‘ethnic’, exclusive terms that focus on birth and ancestry.

However, these figures vary according to people’s demographic background: 

• Those aged 65 and over (26%) are nearly twice as likely as those aged less than 35 (14%) to have a primarily ethnic conception of British identity.
• Similarly, those with no educational qualifications (27%) are more than twice as likely as graduates (11%) to have an ethnic conception of British identity. 
• Those who voted Leave in the 2016 EU referendum (27%) were also twice as likely as those who voted Remain (13%) to have a primarily ethnic view of British identity.

Fall in National Pride

Over the last decade, there has been a sharp fall in the proportion who take pride in Britain’s achievements:

• Only 64% say they are proud of Britain’s history, down from 86% in 2013.
• Just 53% take pride in how Britain’s democracy works, compared with 69% in 2013.
• While 44% are proud of Britain’s economic achievements, the figure was 57% in 2013.

However, most people still take pride in the country’s cultural and sporting achievements. 79% say they are proud of Britain’s achievements in arts and literature, while 77% say the same of the country’s sporting achievements. 

Those with a civic understanding of what it means to be British (84%) are more likely than those with an ethnic one (74%) to express pride in Britain’s arts and literature. Conversely, they are less likely to be proud of Britain’s history (65% compared with 74%). Gillian Prior, Deputy Chief Executive at the National Centre for Social Research, says: “Our latest report finds Britain has become more inclusive in its attitudes towards what it means to be British. These research findings show that whilst we are less likely to take pride in British history and more critical about its politics, there is still a great deal of national pride in the country’s cultural and sporting achievements. This change in attitudes may have been influenced by the increased diversity and shared citizenship within Britain, presenting a portrait of a nation redefining itself.”  

Additional Information

Related content, is scottish nationalism different.

New research findings show Scottish independence and Brexit are different kinds of nationalism

British social attitudes 41 | national identity.

Changing attitudes to how Scotland is run

Sign up to our latest news

Receive a regular update, sent directly to your inbox, with a summary of our current events, research, blogs and comment.

Here’s how you know

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institutes of Health

New Study Reports High Rates of Anxiety and Depression in 11- to 13-Year-Olds During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rates of depression in 11- to 13-year-olds increased significantly between the early and middle stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and rates of anxiety and suicidal ideation stayed consistently high during the same period, according to a new study conducted in three U.S. states. The study, supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health with co-funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Office of Disease Prevention, and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and published in the Journal of Adolescence, also showed differences among population subgroups, with the greatest concerns about girls and Hispanic/Latinx youth in the early pandemic and among girls and Medicaid-insured youth at mid-pandemic.

Research conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic showed rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among U.S. adolescents ranging from about 4 to 12 percent. Studies conducted during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic showed similar or slightly higher rates. This study extended the findings of previous research by analyzing data collected from a group of early adolescents, aged 11 to 13 years, during two time periods within the pandemic: March to September 2020 (early pandemic) and September 2020 to May 2021 (mid-pandemic). 

The 623 participants were recruited from pediatric primary care practices in California, Colorado, and Michigan for a pragmatic trial study testing the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing Guiding Good Choices, a family-focused substance use prevention program for caregivers of younger adolescents in health care systems. They completed a baseline behavioral health survey between March and September 2020, and then, because of a pandemic-related delay in the start of the study, they completed the survey again between September 2020 and May 2021. The survey included measures of anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder scale-7 [GAD-7]) and depression (patient health questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]). The PHQ-9 item on “thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way” was used to assess suicidal ideation. 

During the early stage of the pandemic, 10.5 percent of the youth reported moderate-to-severe depression, with the lowest rate in boys (3.6 percent) and the highest rates in Hispanic/Latinx youth (16.7 percent) and girls (16.0 percent). In the overall sample, the rate of moderate-to-severe depression increased significantly from early to mid-pandemic, from 10.5 to 15.1 percent. The largest increases were seen in boys, black youth, and Medicaid-insured youth. Hispanic/Latinx youth showed a nonsignificant decrease in depression (from 16.7 to 13.9 percent). 

In the early stage of the pandemic, 12.0 percent of the youth reported moderate-to-severe anxiety, with the lowest rates in boys (4.6 percent) and Black youth (7.1 percent), and the highest rates in girls (17.7 percent) and Hispanic/Latinx youth (15.3 percent). The overall sample showed a nonsignificant increase in the prevalence of anxiety between early and mid-pandemic. In contrast, a decrease in the prevalence of anxiety was seen among Hispanic/Latinx youth at mid-pandemic.  

Early in the pandemic, 9.3 percent of the youth reported suicidal ideation, with the lowest rate among boys (4.8 percent) and the highest rates among girls (13.1 percent) and Hispanic/Latinx youth (12.2 percent). Nonsignificant increases were observed in the overall sample and some subgroups from early to mid-pandemic, and a nonsignificant decrease was seen among Hispanic/Latinx youth.

The researchers said that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had a persistent negative impact on mental health in early adolescents, as symptoms did not improve despite reductions in restrictions and closures in response to COVID-19 between early and mid-pandemic. The findings underscore the need for continued support for youth who experienced pandemic-related stressors. The researchers suggested that the possible improvements seen among Hispanic/Latinx youth from early to mid-pandemic might reflect the larger prevalence of multigenerational households in this group, which could contribute to a greater sense of community, perceived support, and resiliency. Additionally, most of the Hispanic/Latinx youth lived in Northern California or Colorado, where cities created outdoor space to promote outdoor activities during the pandemic, and these efforts were shown to significantly lower anxiety and depression. 

.header_greentext{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_bluetext{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_redtext{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_purpletext{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_yellowtext{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_blacktext{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_whitetext{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.header_darkred{color:#803d2f!important;}.Green_Header{color:green!important;font-size:24px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Blue_Header{color:blue!important;font-size:18px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Red_Header{color:red!important;font-size:28px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Purple_Header{color:purple!important;font-size:31px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Yellow_Header{color:yellow!important;font-size:20px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.Black_Header{color:black!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;}.White_Header{color:white!important;font-size:22px!important;font-weight:500!important;} Reference

• Danzo S, Kuklinski MR, Sterling SA, et al. Anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among early adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic . Journal of Adolescence. 2024;96(6):1379-1387.

Publication Date: April 28, 2024

A–Z List of Health Topics

Press Releases

Related Topics

Research Results

• University home
• Alumni and supporters
• Our departments

• Research news

New research has found prescribing nature can improve happiness and reduce anxiety

• Cornwall campuses
• Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
• Public Health and Sports Sciences
• Top stories
• University of Exeter Medical School

A £5.77m cross-governmental funded project has shown that expanding access to Green Social Prescribing can promote wellbeing and improve mental health.

Researchers from the University of Exeter – in partnership with the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, and University of Plymouth – have today (September 4) published a report for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) on their findings into efforts to increase access to Green Social Prescribing, and its effectiveness in tackling and preventing mental ill health.

Green Social Prescribing is the practice of supporting people with mental health needs to engage in nature-based activities. Referrals will typically come from GPs, community mental health teams, or social workers, but people can also self-refer. Social Prescribing Link Workers, and other trusted professionals, then connect people to community groups and agencies for practical and emotional support. There are many different types of nature-based activities and therapies, including conservation, horticulture and gardening, care farming, exercise and sports, or talking therapies in the outdoors.

Professor Ruth Garside of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter said: “Our findings are significant because it provides evidence that Green Social Prescribing is an effective way of supporting people with their mental health. But this is just the beginning and further government investment is now supporting the leadership and systems change that we know Green Social Prescribing needs to be successful. However, there must be an ongoing commitment from policymakers to understand the needs of communities and enable more diverse people to connect with nature, alongside investment in those organisations that provide nature-based activities.”

In total, 8,339 people with mental health needs took part in nature-based activities at seven Green Social Prescribing Project Test and Learn pilots across England. Compared to many other social prescribing initiatives the project reached a broader range of people, including children and young people aged under 18, ethnic minority populations (21-percent), and people from socio-economically deprived areas (57-percent).

Prior to accessing nature-based activities participants’ happiness, anxiety, life satisfaction, and feeling that their life was worthwhile was worse than national averages. After taking part in the project wellbeing had improved, and typically happiness and anxiety was in line with the national average. Levels of life satisfaction and feeling that life was worthwhile had also improved significantly.

Participants in Green Social Prescribing said:

“After the group I feel joyful, happy, calm. I have a sense of achievement and I feel my wellbeing increasing. I look forward to attending.”

“It works better than medication for me. It works better than CBT for me. Most of my stuff is related to trauma, so NICE guidelines don’t recommend medication for borderline personality disorder. I have my counselling and that is really valuable, but this is on a par with that.”

With an average cost of £507 per participant, researchers also found Green Social Prescribing to be a cost-effective method of supporting people across a wide spectrum of mental health needs. That’s when compared to other interventions, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), behavioural activation, and early intervention for psychosis and collaborative care for depression.

Marion Steiner is a GP in Bristol and part of the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Test and Learn Pilot Site project board. She said: “Connecting with nature is a lifelong resource with proven benefits for mental and physical health. It can cut through generations of adverse life events. But many of the patients I treat can’t currently access nature in this way due to a range of personal, social, and cultural barriers. That’s why Green Social Prescribing is so important. This project has the potential to reduce a range of prescribing and treatment costs for the NHS, as well as addressing many health needs and lowering the risk of several diseases, from diabetes to depression.”

Dr Annette Haywood, Head of Public Health Section Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) and Principal Investigator of the study said: “I’m thrilled to have led on this national evaluation of Green Social Prescribing. There is already a wealth of evidence to show the positive impact that nature and outdoor activities can have on mental and physical health. The findings of this report add to this evidence-base, demonstrating that nature-based activities are a relatively cost-effective way to support people with a variety of mental health needs.”

Funding for the project was provided by HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund and various central government departments and external agencies. Partners included: Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Natural England, NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England, Sport England, Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and the National Academy for Social Prescribing.

More Stories

• Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
• Student news
• Uncategorized
• University news

University shortlisted for four Times Higher Education awards

• Environment
• Environmental Intelligence @ Exeter
• Exeter Innovation

Exeter climate research is key to modelling tool that aims to decarbonise buildings

• Arts & Culture
• Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
• Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies

Craft expert recognised in prestigious industry list