AUTHOR=Chi Changde , Gong Guomei , Zhang Xiaoling , Cai Xuehua , Chen Junxia , Jiang Hanying 

TITLE=Safety performance behaviors of hospital nurses from the perspective of social cognition theory

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1676200

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1676200

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the safety performance behaviors of hospital nurses by developing and testing a comprehensive model based on social cognitive theory (SCT).MethodsA cross-sectional, survey-based study was conducted. Data were collected from 269 registered nurses across multiple hospitals in Quanzhou, China, via an online questionnaire. Previously validated scales were adapted to measure the constructs. The proposed research model and hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).ResultsThe results showed that safety climate had a significant positive effect on safety motivation (β = 0.716, p < 0.001). Safety motivation, in turn, positively influenced both safety compliance (β = 0.498, p < 0.001) and safety participation (β = 0.195, p < 0.01). Anticipation orientation mediated the relationship between safety motivation and both safety behaviors. Psychological ownership for safety promotion was a strong predictor of anticipation orientation (β = 0.537, p < 0.001). Furthermore, co-worker support positively moderated the relationship between safety motivation and safety participation (β = 0.220, p < 0.01) but did not have a significant moderating effect on the motivation-compliance relationship.ConclusionsThe findings underscore the importance of a multi-faceted approach to enhancing nurse safety performance. Healthcare institutions should prioritize fostering a positive safety climate, cultivating nurses’ psychological ownership of safety, and strengthening co-worker support networks to effectively translate motivation into proactive safety behaviors. This study advances the application of SCT in nursing safety by integrating organizational, cognitive, and social factors into a unified framework.