Occupational stigma consciousness and professional commitment among Chinese nursing students: Path analysis of survey data

Pervasive stigma exists around nursing in Chinese society and can affect nursing students' commitment to the profession. Based on the resource conservation theory, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and psychological empowerment in nursing students' professional commitment in China. Data were collected from November 2021 to May 2022, and 1189 nursing students participated in the study. Occupational stigma consciousness, professional commitment, and psychological empowerment were assessed using a questionnaire. The path analysis indicated that occupational stigma consciousness negatively predicted professional commitment (beta = -0.127, p < 0.001) and psychological empowerment (beta = -0.329, p < 0.001), and psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and professional commitment. To resist occupational stigma consciousness and improve nursing students' professional commitment, nursing policies and education should focus on improving psychological empowerment.