# The Influence of Felt Trust on Nurses' Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Moderating Role of Benevolent Leadership

## TL;DR

This study shows that when nurses feel trusted by their supervisors, they perform better, especially if they believe in themselves and have supportive leadership.

## Contribution

The study identifies self-efficacy as a mediator and benevolent leadership as a moderator in the relationship between felt trust and nursing job performance.

## Key findings

- Felt trust significantly improves nurses' job performance (β = 0.54, p < 0.01).
- Self-efficacy mediates the relationship between felt trust and job performance (indirect effect = 0.41).
- Benevolent leadership strengthens the effect of felt trust on self-efficacy (β = 0.07, p < 0.01).

## Abstract

The concept of felt trust (FT)—nurses' perception of being trusted by their supervisors—is increasingly recognized as integral to the quality of healthcare delivery. Despite its importance, the specific impact of FT on nursing performance and the role of self-efficacy and benevolent leadership (BL) in this context are not well understood.

This study aims to explore the influence of nurses' FT on their job performance and the mediating role of self-efficacy and moderating role of BL in this relationship.

A cross-sectional design was adopted to survey 320 registered nurses from 15 public hospitals in China. Data were collected from March to April 2022.

The study utilized hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrap method in the PROCESS macro to test the proposed hypotheses.

The findings indicate that FT has a positive and significant effect on job performance among nurses (β = 0.54, p < 0.01). Moreover, self-efficacy mediates the relationship between FT and nurses' job performance (indirect effect = 0.41, 95% CI [0.33, 0.50]). Furthermore, nurses' perceived BL moderates the relationship between FT and self-efficacy, with a stronger positive effect observed among nurses with high levels of BL (β = 0.07, p < 0.01).

This study suggests that FT is an important factor that influences job performance among nurses. Self-efficacy plays a significant mediating role in this relationship, while BL has a moderating effect on the relationship between FT and self-efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of promoting FT and self-efficacy among nurses while also cultivating a supportive organizational culture that fosters BL.

This study highlights the importance of fostering FT to enhance nurses' job performance. Nursing management can benefit from creating an environment that promotes FT and self-efficacy and encourages BL, leading to improved patient care and nurse satisfaction.