How perceived threat of Covid-19 causes turnover intention among Pakistani nurses: A moderation and mediation analysis.

The research on the psychological and behavioural consequences of the perceived threat of infectious diseases is still in its early stage. The current study aims to contribute to this line of research by (a) developing and validating a scale for the perceived threat of coronavirus (COVID-19) and (b) investigating outcomes, the underlying mechanism and boundary condition of the perceived threat of COVID-19 through the lens of conservation of resources theory. This study proposes that the perceived threat of COVID-19 enhances turnover intention among nurses through psychological anxiety. The study further proposes an ideological contract as a buffer reducing turnover intention among nurses as a result of psychological anxiety. The current study data were collected with online questionnaires from Pakistani nurses (N = 117) treating COVID-19 patients. The Model 4 specification of the process macros developed by Hayes. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.) was utilized to test direct and indirect effects, while the Model 1 specification was used to test the moderation hypothesis. The results showed that the perceived threat of COVID-19 enhances psychological anxiety (s = 0.30, P < 0.001) and turnover intention among nurses (s = 0.35, P < 0.001). The mediation hypothesis was also supported, as psychological anxiety playing an underlying role in the relationship between perceived threat of COVID-19 and turnover intention (indirect effect = 0.13, LL = 0.05, UL = 0.23). The combined effect of psychological anxiety and ideological contract on turnover intentions was negative and significant (s = -.33, P < 0.001), confirming the moderation hypothesis. These results offer important implications for nursing managers. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.