INVESTIGATING THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY ON THE ASSOCIATION OF WORK–LIFE CONFLICT AND TIME PRESSURE WITH MEDICATION ERRORS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66021/23ry0y88Keywords:
Work–life conflict; Time pressure; Emotional instability; Medication errors; Nurses; Patient safety; Occupational stress; Swiss Cheese Model; Hospital settingsAbstract
Background: Medication errors remain a critical patient safety concern worldwide, particularly in high-demand healthcare environments where nurses face persistent occupational stressors. Work–life conflict and time pressure are prevalent stressors in nursing practice and have been associated with impaired clinical performance. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying these relationships remain insufficiently explored, particularly the mediating role of emotional instability.
Aim and Objective: This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of emotional instability on the relationship between work–life conflict, time pressure, and medication errors among hospital-based nurses.
Methodology: A quantitative, cross-sectional design grounded in the positivist paradigm was employed. Using a deductive approach, data were collected from 305 registered nurses through standardized and validated Likert-type instruments measuring work–life conflict, time pressure, emotional instability, and medication errors. Reliability and correlation analyses were conducted, followed by regression-based mediation analysis to test indirect effects. Statistical significance was determined at the 95% confidence level.
Results: Work–life conflict and time pressure were positively associated with medication errors. Both occupational stressors significantly predicted emotional instability, which in turn demonstrated a strong positive association with medication errors. Mediation analysis revealed that emotional instability fully mediated the relationship between work–life conflict and medication errors. In the multiple regression model, emotional instability emerged as the only significant predictor when all variables were entered simultaneously, highlighting its central explanatory role.
Conclusion: Emotional instability functions as a key psychological mechanism linking occupational stressors to medication errors. Interventions targeting nurses’ emotional regulation, alongside organizational strategies addressing workload and staffing, may substantially enhance medication safety and patient care outcomes.
