Volume 30, Issue 167, January 2026

Exploring the relationship between job autonomy and stress among staff nurses: A systematic review

Mohammed Abdullah Alrasheedi^1♦, Dhakir Abbas Ali², Hafizah Che Hassan³

¹PhD Candidate in Nursing, Lincoln University College, Malaysia
²Associate Professor, Lincoln University College, Malaysia
³Associate Professor (B.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D.), Lincoln University College, Malaysia

^♦Corresponding author
Mohammed Abdullah Alrasheedi, PhD Candidate in Nursing, Lincoln University College, Wisma Lincoln, No. 12-18, Jalan SS 6/12, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Autonomy will allow nurses to control their workload, make meaningful choices, and alter their timeframes, which will contribute to job satisfaction and reduce burnout. The healthcare institutions need to implement policies that promote autonomy through a flexible working system, participative decision-making, and career advancement. The research was conducted to investigate how job autonomy and stress were related to nurses. The design of the study was based on the synthesis of reputable papers and systematic review. Three databases were searched and 3 papers that were found in English since January 2015 to July 2025 were searched. The studies included in the study based on the eligibility criteria included articles that were related to all nursing cadres in healthcare settings, articles that found a relationship between job autonomy and stress among nurses, articles that identified the various levels of job autonomy and their impact to stress and job satisfaction, articles that determined the effects of job stress, burnout, job fulfillment, work performance, and nurse retention, and articles published in English and in less than 10 years. After a thematic analysis, several themes were identified. The issues discussed included the effects of job autonomy on the stress levels of the staff nurses, the key factors that affect job autonomy in the nursing field, and the effects of low job autonomy on the nurses; job satisfaction, job performance, and health. Limited autonomy regularly results in elevated stress levels, higher rates of resignation and burnout, and low quality of healthcare services.

Keywords: Job Autonomy; Stress; Nurses; Job Satisfaction; Job Fulfillment

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e7ms3742

PDF

Published: 16 January 2026