Effort–reward imbalance and organisational injustice among aged nurses: a moderated mediation model

Aim To test the effort–reward imbalance model among older nurses, expanding it to include the moderation of overcommitment and age in the stress–health complaints relationship, mediated by organisational injustice. Background The theoretical framework included the effort–reward imbalance, the uncertainty management and the socio‐emotional selectivity models. Method Employing a two‐wave design, the participants were 255 nurses aged 45 years and over, recruited from four large hospitals in Spain (Madrid and Basque Country). Results The direct effect of imbalance on health complaints was supported: it was significant when overcommitment was low but not when it was high. Organisational injustice mediated the influence of effort–reward imbalance on health complaints. The conditional effect of the mediation of organisational injustice was significant in three of the overcommitment/age conditions but it weakened, becoming non‐significant, when the level of overcommitment was low and age was high. Conclusions The study tested the model in nursing populations and expanded it to the settings of occupational health and safety at work. Implications for nursing management The results of this study highlight the importance of effort–reward imbalance and organisational justice for creating healthy work environments.