Motivación y satisfacción laboral como predictores de la felicidad en enfermeras peruanas

Introduction: Lack of work motivation among nursing professionals is a complex problem that requires urgent attention to attain the achievement of both personal and institutional goals. Objective: To evaluate occupational motivation and satisfaction as predictors of happiness in Peruvian nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional predictive study was conducted in public and private hospitals from different regions of Peru, between January and December 2023. A nonprobabilistic convenience sample of 362 nurses was selected. The motivation variable was measured with the Spanish version of the Work Motivation Scale, the Job Satisfaction Scale and the Happiness Questionnaire. Descriptive, correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed. Results: The findings show that motivation and happiness at work was 0.114 (p < 0.05), while the relationship between satisfaction and happiness was 0.312 (p < 0.01); both have a positive, direct and highly significant relationship. Likewise, no relationship was found between satisfaction and work motivation, accounting for a result of 0.072 (p > 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis shows that motivation and job satisfaction explain 21.29 % of the total variance of the happiness variable. Conclusions: Motivation and satisfaction predict the happiness of Peruvian nurses in the work environment. Therefore, it is important to value and recognize the work performed by nurses within the health team; it is necessary to strengthen professional growth, autonomy and self-realization.