Affective organizational commitment among nursing home employees: A longitudinal study on the influence of a health‐promoting work environment

Abstract

Aim To investigate whether affective organizational commitment (AOC) among nursing home employees is enhanced by a health‐promoting work environment, conceptualized as high levels of job resources, work‐related sense of coherence (work‐SOC) and low levels of job demands. Design This study used a longitudinal design. Survey data were collected with a 1‐year interval between 2015/2016–2016/2017 among nursing home employees in Norway. Methods Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the longitudinal data (N = 166) and cross‐sectional data from the first time point (N = 558). Results The results supported that work‐SOC was strongly and positively related to AOC. Job resources and job demands were positively and negatively related, respectively, to work‐SOC but were not related to future AOC. The indirect effects of autonomy and supervisor support on AOC, via work‐SOC, were significant. The indirect effects regarding social community at work, emotional demands and role conflict were unclear.