The study purpose was to identify the effects of nurse manager and peer group
caring behaviors as perceived by nurses on retention intention. A descriptive
correlational study was conducted with a convenience sample of 229 registered nurses
who had worked for over 6 months in the units of five general hospitals located in J
province. Data were collected from Aug. 1 to Aug. 20, 2015 using a self-reported
questionnaire on participants’ general and job-related characteristics, manager caring
behaviors (by OCCS, 1998), peer group caring behaviors (by PGCIS, 1998), and
retention intention (by Korean version of Cowin’s Nurses’ Retention Index, 2002). Data
were analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha, descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVAs with
Scheffe’s post-hoc testing, Pearson''s correlation coefficients, and hierarchical
regression analysis.
Our results were as follows:
1. The mean total score for manager caring behaviors was 4.27. The mean
sub-scale scores were as follows: modeling (4.26); dialogue (4.18); practice (4.33); and
confirmation (4.29). The mean total score for peer group caring behaviors was 4.31, while the sub-scale scores were 4.21 and 4.44 for modeling and giving assistance,
respectively. As such, the giving assistance score was higher than was that of
modeling. The mean score of retention intention was 4.72, indicating a moderate level.
2. There were significant differences in ''manager caring behaviors'' scores by
suitability for present working department and employment status and in ''peer group
caring behaviors'' scores by suitability for present working department.
3. Nurses'' retention intention showed statistically significant differences according
to age, marital status, religion, suitability for present department, total clinical
experience and monthly salary.
4. Nurses’ retention intention was significantly positively correlated with ‘manager
and peer group caring behaviors’, respectively. Furthermore, ‘manager caring
behaviors’ were significantly positively correlated with ‘peer group caring behaviors’.
Furthermore, After controlling confounding variables, religion, suitability for
present working department, clinical experience of over ten years, ''manager caring
behaviors'', and ''peer group caring behaviors'' were significantly associated with
nurses'' retention intention.
In conclusion, the scores for ''manager and peer group caring behaviors'' and
retention intention were all at a moderate level, although the subjects perceived ''peer
group caring behaviors'' as higher compared to ''manager caring behaviors''. the
factors influencing retention intention were religion, suitability for present department,
clinical experience of over ten years, ''manager caring behaviors'', and ''peer group
caring behaviors'', and ''manager caring behaviors'' was more influential than ''peer
group caring behaviors''. Therefore, to improve nurses’ retention intention, it may be
necessary to alter the transfer and arrangement strategies of their working
environments to better consider nurses’ aptitude and competence, and thereby increase
both manager and peer group caring behaviors. Furthermore, it should be made
strategies to promote manager caring behaviors in hospitals and hospital organizations and to encourage caring-relationship formation among peers, as this would help in
building a more friendly organizational culture.
Based on our results, we suggest the following:
1. When developing strategies to enhance nurses’ retention intention, manager and
peer group caring behaviors should be targeted, especially it would be necessary to
consider facilitating caring behaviors that offer actual and specific assistance.
2. In order to improve nurses'' retention intention, it should develop rotation
system that considered nurses’ aptitude and nursing competency.
3. It is necessary to develop strategies to improve retention intention of newly
graduated nurses or nurses who has less than three years’ clinical experience.
4. It will needed to conduct further research of various affecting factors on nurses''
retention intention.