2025/09/01 by Adrianna Watson · 1 voice · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Nursing · Medicine · #Work-Family Balance Challenges #Nursing education and management #Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
paper · doi:10.1111/jan.70158
openalex publication_date 2025/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
AIM(S): To demonstrate, through an integrative theoretical synthesis, how fully paid parental leave functions as a boundary-management strategy that enhances nurse well-being and retention; thereby supporting sustainable workforce capacity. DESIGN: Discursive paper. METHODS: Directed literature synthesis (2010-2025) across nursing, organisational psychology, labour economics and health-policy databases; thematic mapping of findings to organisational support theory, ethics-of-care theory and role theory; cross-case comparison of four national leave frameworks. RESULTS: Paid, discretionary leave raises perceived organisational support and predicts lower turnover intention. Leave is framed as moral reciprocity and restores both relational energy and capacity for job satisfaction. Extended, clearly sign-posted leave reduces time- and strain-based work-family conflict, enabling role enrichment on return. Implementation rests on four structural interventions: leadership endorsement, streamlined processes, guaranteed staffing back-fill and phased return-to-work options. CONCLUSION: Paid parental leave is a strategic, theory-grounded intervention that safeguards nurses' dual identities, amplifies organisational commitment and ultimately fortifies patient care quality. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Embedding usable, fully paid leave normalises caregiving, reduces burnout triggers and stabilises staffing to promote nurse retention, continuity of care and positive patient outcomes. IMPACT: What problem did the study address? Global nurse turnover driven by unmanageable work-family conflict and inadequate leave usability. What were the main findings? Generous, well-implemented leave improves perceived support, relational energy and retention; four structural interventions maximize the benefits of paid parental leave for nurse-parents, patients, organizations, and the nursing workforce. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Onurse leaders, HR policymakers and health-system executives striving to stem workforce attrition and on patient populations reliant on stable, experienced nursing teams. REPORTING METHOD: None (discursive). PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct or reporting.