Grit and Meaning in Life of Chinese Nurses: The Chain Mediating Effect of Social Support and Hope

Abstract

Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, and it may affect the stability of the nursing workforce and the physical and mental health of nurses continuously. Meaning in life has received considerable attention from scholars, which is an important component in positive psychology. This study aimed to delve into the relationship between grit and the meaning in life of Chinese nurses. Additionally, we also sought to prove the chain mediating effect of social support and hope on this relationship. An online questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 704 Chinese nurses using the self-made demographic questionnaire with Short Grit Scale (Grit-S), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS), and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). Moreover, Process version 3.3 plug-in SPSS 25 was used to test the mediation effect between variables. The results showed a strong positive relationship between grit and meaning in life and verified the mediating effect of social support and hope on grit and meaning in life. The results also confirmed the chain mediating model between grit, social support, hope, and meaning in life.