Purpose: This study explored the mediating effect of career calling in the relationship between family supportive
supervisor behaviors and turnover intention among nurses.
Methods: Data were gathered from 563 nurses enrolled in eight public hospitals in China. They were
required to complete measures of family-supportive supervisor behaviors, career calling, and turnover
intention. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis and the bootstrapping procedure were used to
examine the mediating role of career calling.
Results: Family-supportive supervisor behaviors were positively associated with career calling, but
negatively associated with turnover intention. Furthermore, career calling partially mediated the relationship
between family-supportive supervisor behaviors and turnover intention.
Conclusion: This study provides strong evidence for an increasing body of work that emphasizes the
importance of nursing leaders engaging in family-supportive behaviors for increasing employee career
calling and reducing turnover intention.