Psychosocial work environment and subjective well being among healthcare professionals using structural equation modeling, mediation and scale development

The psychosocial work environment factors are a key determinant of healthcare professionals’
subjective well-being (SWB); however, the mechanisms through which these factors operate remain
insufficiently understood. This study aimed to develop and validate a context-specific measurement
instrument and to examine how psychosocial work-environment factors influence SWB, focusing on
psychological mechanisms. A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare professionals
(N=333) in a Latvian inpatient healthcare institution. The sample was randomly split for exploratory
(n=140) and confirmatory (n=193) factor analyses. Psychosocial work environment factors were
assessed using an author-developed instrument grounded in the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R)
model, while SWB was measured using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Structural equation modeling
(SEM) with a robust estimator (WLSMV) was applied. The final measurement model demonstrated
good fit (CFI=0.979; TLI=0.970; RMSEA=0.059; SRMR=0.055). Psychosocial work environment
factors explained up to 40% of SWB variance. Organisational support and trust (β=0.420, p<0.001) and
professional fulfilment (β=0.311, p<0.001) emerged as significant predictors. Job demands and other
factors were not directly associated with SWB. Mediation analysis showed that professional fulfilment
partially mediated the relationships between organisational support and trust (31.2%) and perceived
professional value (42.3%) with SWB. Sociodemographic variables were not significant. These findings
suggest that SWB among healthcare professionals is primarily shaped by psychosocial job resources.
Professional fulfilment is a central mechanism linking work environment conditions to well-being. The
validated instrument provides a robust tool for assessing psychosocial work environments.