The chain mediating role of negative emotions at work and meaning in life between interpersonal conflict at work and depressive symptoms among nurses: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Background Depressive symptoms among nurses have been a significant public health concern. Although many studies have demonstrated the potential relationship between interpersonal conflict at work and depressive symptoms, the mechanisms underlying this relationship among nurses remain unclear. Based on the theoretical and empirical research, this study aimed to investigate the multiple mediating effects of negative emotion at work and meaning in life on the relationship between interpersonal conflict at work and depressive symptoms among nurses. Methods An online multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in 15 hospitals from different geographical areas of Hunan Province, China, from December 2021 to February 2022. A total of 1754 nurses completed validated self-reported questionnaires, including their sociodemographic information, interpersonal conflict at work, negative emotions at work, meaning in life, and depressive symptoms. Descriptive statistics analysis, Spearman's correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and chain mediation analysis were performed using IBM SPSS software (version 29) and Mplus software (version 8). Results There were significant correlations between interpersonal conflict at work, negative emotions at work, meaning in life, and depressive symptoms (r = -0.206 similar to 0.518, all p < 0.01). Interpersonal conflict at work had a statistically significantly direct effect on depressive symptoms (beta = 0.061; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.011 similar to 0.126, p = 0.039). Analysis of mediating effects revealed that interpersonal conflict at work also influenced depressive symptoms through two statistically significantly indirect pathways: (a) the mediating effect of negative emotions at work (beta = 0.167; 95% CI: 0.138 similar to 0.195, p < 0.001) and (b) the chain mediating effect between negative emotions at work and meaning in life (beta = 0.008; 95% CI: 0.003 similar to 0.013, p = 0.005). Conclusion Interpersonal conflict at work has a direct positive effect on depressive symptoms among nurses. Meanwhile, interpersonal conflict at work can influence depressive symptoms among nurses through the mediating effect of negative emotions at work and the chain mediating effect between negative emotions at work and meaning in life.