Empathy, Affect and Personality as Predictors of Engagement in Nursing Professionals

Background: It seems that personality traits affect engagement and the quality of professional life, which is mediated by the emotional and affective states of nursing personnel. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to analyze the relationships between the components of empathy, affect, personality, and engagement, find personality profiles, identify the variables with the most explanatory value, and analyze the mediating role of the variables susceptible to intervention in the relationship between personality and the components of engagement. Methods: A sample of 1268 nurses completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, 10-item Big Five Inventory, Basic Empathy Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results: Empathy, affect, and personality influence engagement factors in nurses. The vigor and absorption factors of engagement showed a positive relationship with empathy, positive affect, and all of the Big Five personality factors except neuroticism with which the relationship was negative. Personality affected the vigor, dedication, and absorption factors of engagement, and cognitive empathy mediated this relationship. Conclusions: This study shows the need to continue investigating the factors that affect and mediate in engagement of nursing professionals.