Predictors of nurse's happiness: a systematic review

Abstract Objective An acute shortage of nurses exists all over the world. Part of this shortage appears to be due to nurses’ low job satisfaction, low retention, and high turnover. Happiness at work is identified as a contributing factor that determines the shortage of nurses across the world. This paper critically appraised the existing scientific articles that assessed the individual and organizational predictors of happiness among nurses. Methods The systematic review was conducted from August 2010 to August 2020 using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Scientific articles were searched in the electronic databases (Scopus, Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and Pubmed Central) on the predictors of happiness among nurses. Results A total of 13 articles were selected following the literature search and a thematic analysis was done. This review provides updated evidence on the predictors of nurses’ happiness. Job-related predictors were identified as organizational predictors; and personal, psychological, family, social, and spiritual predictors were reported to be the individual predictors. Conclusions As both individual and organizational predictors determine the happiness of nurses, the authors recommend the need for future interventional studies to increase the nurses’ happiness, their mental health, and health-related quality of life.