Status and influencing factors of thriving at work among clinical nurses in China: A cross-sectional survey study

Aims This study aimed to investigate the status quo and influencing factors of thriving at work among clinical nurses in China, and their possible relationship with head nurse leadership styles, psychological capital, and voice behavior, which could further provide more countermeasures to safeguard their mental and physical health and career development. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Hubei province, central China, using a convenience sampling method between May and June 2025. Date were collected using the general information questionnaire, the Chinese versions of the Thriving at Work Scale, Head Nurse Leadership Styles Scale, Psychological Capital Scale, and Voice Behavior Scale. SPSS 27.0 was applied to analyze the data. Results In total, 420 participants from 3 tertiary hospitals completed the survey. The total score of nurses' thriving at work was 39.95 ± 6.24. Thriving at work showed significantly positive correlations with the total scores and all dimension scores of leadership styles, psychological capital, and voice behavior ( P  < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated that age, employment type, professional title, interest in nursing work, family support for work, inclusive leadership styles, psychological capital, and voice behavior were significant influencing factors of nurses' thriving at work ( P  < 0.05). Conclusions Our study shows that the level of thriving at work among nurses was moderate to low, influenced by multiple factors. It is imperative for nursing administrators to develop comprehensive interventions that incorporate unit-level contextual characteristics, individual job resources, and proactive work behaviors. Such strategies are essential to enhance the quality of nursing care.