997 Nurses, Three Surveys: Well-Being and Quiet Quitting

Quiet quitting does not mean leaving a job. It means doing only what the role formally requires and avoiding extra effort. Researchers treated this pullback as a serious workplace issue and asked why it might happen among nurses.

They followed 997 registered nurses from several generations across three survey rounds. The timing helped them examine links over time. They used mediation and moderated-mediation methods to test whether psychological well-being related to quiet quitting, whether person-group fit helped explain that link, and whether the pattern changed by generation.

The findings pointed in one clear direction. Nurses with stronger psychological well-being reported less quiet quitting. Person-group fit also seemed to be part of the pathway. In simple terms, feeling better matched with a work group may connect stronger well-being with a lower chance of pulling back. Both the direct and indirect links were negative.

Some generational patterns appeared, but the test for moderated mediation was not significant. The research did not significant. The moderated mediation was not significant. Because the moderated mediation was not significant, indicating that the indirect pathway was not reliably stronger or weaker for any one generation. Strategies that support psychological well-being and strengthen person-group fit may be useful for multigenerational nursing teams. Because the effects were modest and the design had limitations, the results need cautious reading. More research should examine career stage, workplace priorities or values, and surrounding conditions to see how they shape well-being, group fit, and quiet quitting.

actions