Longitudinal relationships between workplace social capital, career calling and work engagement among nurses: a three-wave cross-lagged study

Longitudinal relationships between workplace social capital, career calling and work engagement among nurses: a three-wave cross-lagged study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Longitudinal relationships between workplace social capital, career calling and work engagement among nurses: a three-wave cross-lagged study Niuniu Sun, Yamei Liang, Yang Ni, Ruihong Zhang, Yu Xing, Fengsai Bie, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9072003/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Nurses experience substantial occupational strain, including burnout and turnover intention, underscoring the need to better understand factors related to their occupational well-being. This study examined the reciprocal longitudinal relationships among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement in nurses. Methods A three-wave survey was conducted among 470 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Hebei Province, China. Workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement were measured at six-month intervals using validated scales. Cross-lagged panel models were used to examine time-ordered associations and longitudinal mediation effects among the three variables, adjusting for covariates. Results Workplace social capital and career calling were significantly associated with higher subsequent levels of work engagement across waves. Work engagement was, in turn, associated with later levels of workplace social capital and career calling. Career calling partially mediated the longitudinal association between workplace social capital and work engagement. Additionally, workplace social capital was positively associated with subsequent career calling, and indirect associations involving work engagement were observed. Conclusions This study indicates a dynamic and interconnected pattern of longitudinal associations among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement in nurses. Work engagement appears to play an important linking role between workplace social capital and career calling over time, rather than functioning solely as an outcome variable. Interventions targeting any one of these domains may therefore have broader implications within this interconnected system. Workplace social capital Career calling Work engagement Nurses Longitudinal study Cross-lagged panel model Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 1. Introduction Nurses play a pivotal role in healthcare systems, undertaking critical responsibilities in disease prevention, patient rehabilitation, and health promotion[ 1 ]. However, the globally prevalent issues of high workloads, emotional exhaustion, and high turnover rates among nurses pose a serious threat to the stability of the nursing workforce and the quality of care[ 2 , 3 ]. In this context, how to effectively promote nurses’ work engagement—a positive cognitive and emotional state characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption[ 4 ]—has become a key concern for healthcare managers and researchers. High levels of work engagement are not only closely linked to the personal well-being of nurses but also significantly enhance the quality of care, reduce medical errors, and improve patient outcomes[ 5 – 8 ]. Although its importance is widely recognized, there is still a lack of systematic and longitudinal research clarifying how work engagement develops through ongoing interactions between organizational and psychological factors. From the perspective of understanding how individuals manage work-related stress and maintain a positive mindset, the Conservation of Resources Theory offers a valuable framework. This theory posits that individuals strive to acquire, retain, and protect their valuable resources[ 9 ]. For nurses, work engagement serves not only as a crucial personal resource but also as the primary driving force that enables them to cope with workplace demands, achieve job-related goals, and foster personal growth[ 10 ]. The development and sustainability of this driving force are not instinctive; rather, they are deeply influenced by the social networks and work environments in which nurses operate. Workplace social capital (WSC) has emerged as a crucial perspective for understanding nurses' work engagement because it acts as an essential resource that connects individuals and organizations. According to Oksanen et al., workplace social capital encompasses the shared attitudes and values among employees, mutual respect and trust among colleagues, collaboration, and collective participation in work, as well as trust in and reliance on leadership[ 11 ]. In the context of nursing, workplace social capital is reflected in trust, norms of reciprocity, a shared vision, and high-quality social connections among nurses, colleagues, leaders, doctors, and other healthcare team members[ 12 ]. Research indicates that a strong workplace social capital provides nurses with valuable informational, emotional, and instrumental support, which are critical resources for coping with work stress and maintaining professional enthusiasm[ 10 , 13 – 15 ]. Meanwhile, in the fields of positive psychology and vocational psychology, Career Calling (CC) has gained increasing attention as a construct that characterizes the meaning of work. Career calling refers to a deep, self-transcending professional orientation where individuals view their work as a life goal, passion, and mission, experiencing a strong sense of calling from society or the self [ 16 ]. In nursing, the sense of “calling” to care for and serve others often constitutes a central motivational foundation. Nurses with a strong sense of career calling are more likely to perceive challenges at work as meaningful sacrifices, thereby exhibiting higher job satisfaction, work engagement, and resilience[ 17 – 19 ]. At the same time, professional meaning may influence how nurses interact with colleagues and contribute to their workplace environment, suggesting that calling may not only be shaped by contextual resources but may also shape them in return. From a theoretical perspective, Bandura’s triadic reciprocal determinism within social cognitive theory provides a valuable framework for understanding these interrelationships[ 20 ], and accordingly, we hypothesize that there are complex associations between these three variables, and their interactions form a dynamic system of influence (as shown in Fig. 1 ). Bandura suggests that individual activity is a function of the continuous interaction among cognition, behavior, and environment. Social cognitive theory examines the individual’s cognition, behavior, and the environment as part of a dynamic system, where individuals understand and interpret their surrounding environment through cognitive processes and adjust their behaviors accordingly. In the work context, individuals’ cognition of the work environment and professional goals can influence their level of work engagement and behavioral performance. Specifically, career calling (individual), workplace social capital (environment), and work engagement (behavior) may interact with each other. Workplace social capital may facilitate the development of career calling and work engagement, while high work engagement can enrich social capital. A clear career calling also drives individuals to expand social capital, creating a positive cycle that fosters career development. In summary, the workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement of nurses may constitute a dynamic evolving system of 'environment-cognition-behavior,' but the mechanisms underlying their interactions remain unclear. Despite growing interest in workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement, most existing studies have relied on cross-sectional designs. Consequently, little is known about the temporal ordering, reciprocal influences, and potential indirect pathways among these constructs in nursing populations. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify whether and how these environmental, cognitive, and behavioral factors influence one another over time.Therefore, this study aims to examine the longitudinal associations among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement using a three-wave cross-lagged panel design. Specifically, we seek to explore whether reciprocal and indirect relationships exist over time, thereby providing evidence to inform organizational and psychological interventions in nursing settings. The research hypotheses of this study are as follows: H1 Workplace social capital and work engagement demonstrate reciprocal longitudinal associations over time. H2 Workplace social capital and career calling demonstrate reciprocal longitudinal associations over time. H3 Career calling and work engagement demonstrate reciprocal longitudinal associations over time. H4 Indirect longitudinal pathways may exist among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement. 2. Methods 2.1 Participants and Procedures All registered nurses at the Fourth People's Hospital of Baoding City, China, were invited to participate in this longitudinal study. A baseline survey was conducted in March 2024 (T1), with 474 nurses completing the questionnaire. Following this, two consecutive online surveys were conducted every 6 months(T2 and T3). Questionnaires with substantial missing data or suspected random responses were excluded. As a result, 472 (99.58%) and 470 (99.16%) participants completed the second and third surveys, respectively. Data from the later waves were matched with previous wave data using specific coding methods. After receiving approval from hospital management, the questionnaires were distributed to the nurses by the nursing management department. Participants were provided with detailed instructions on completing the surveys to ensure clarity and accuracy. The T1 survey collected demographic information, workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement, while T2 and T3 surveys focused solely on workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement. 2.2 Measures 2.2.1 Demographic Information: This section was designed by the researchers based on the study's objectives and content, with the guidance of nursing experts after reviewing relevant literature. It included items such as gender, age, highest educational qualification, marital status, professional title, years of work experience, leadership position, weekly working hours, average number of night shifts per week. 2.2.2 Work Engagement Scale (WES): Developed by Schaufeli et al (2006)[ 21 ]. The scale includes three dimensions—vigor, dedication, and absorption—with a total of nine items. A 5-point Likert scale is used, where higher scores indicate higher levels of work engagement. For the current study, Cronbach's α for the WES was 0.947 (T1), 0.948 (T2), and 0.954 (T3). 2.2.3 Workplace Social Capital Scale (WSCS): Developed by Kouvonen et al (2006)[ 22 ]. The scale consists of two dimensions—cognitive social capital (three items) and structural social capital (five items)—with a total of eight items. It uses a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating higher levels of workplace social capital. For scores in the present study, Cronbach's α for the WSCS was 0.963 (T1), 0.974 (T2), and 0.968 (T3). 2.2.4 Calling Scale-12 (CS-12): Developed by Dobrow and Tosti-Kharas (2011)[ 17 ]. This is a unidimensional scale with 12 items, using a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate a stronger sense of calling. In the current study, Cronbach's α for the CS-12 was 0.964 (T1), 0.964 (T2), and 0.973 (T3). 2.3 Data Analysis This study employed SPSS 27.0 to conduct statistical analyses, including correlations, means, and standard deviations for each variable. Prior to testing the cross-lagged model, longitudinal measurement invariance was examined. Mplus version 8.3 was then used to fit a structural equation model to examine the cross-lagged associations between workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement in nurses, with age, marital status, professional title, years of work experience, leadership position, and number of night shifts worked per week as covariates. Covariates measured at T1 were included as time-invariant baseline covariates. Indirect effects were tested using bootstrapping with 1000 resamples, and statistical significance was determined when the 95% confidence interval did not include zero. The model fit was evaluated using several indices: chi-square, Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR)[ 22 ]. Acceptable model fit was defined as: CFI and TLI ≥ 0.90, RMSEA < 0.08, and SRMR < 0.08[ 23 ]. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. 3. Results 3.1 Characteristics of the study sample The average age of the 470 participants was 32.63 years(SD = 6.65), and 96.60% (n = 454) of the participants were female. More than half of nurses held a bachelor's degree or above, 75.74%(n = 356) were married, and 88.51%(n = 416) held junior or intermediate professional titles. Detailed characteristics are presented in Table 1 . 3.2 Descriptive analysis and correlation analysis Table 2 presents the means, standard deviations, and correlations. The results of the correlation analyses, both within and across waves, indicate that the associations between workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement are all significant and in the expected direction. Notably, the concurrent correlations between workplace social capital and career calling were high at T1 and T3 (r = 0.870 and r = 0.893, respectively). To address potential concerns regarding discriminant validity, we conducted item-level CFA model comparisons at T1 and T3. The hypothesized three-factor model (workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement) demonstrated a significantly better fit than alternative models combining workplace social capital and career calling into a single factor(T1: ΔCFI = 0.133; T3: ΔCFI = 0.134) and a one-factor model (T1: ΔCFI = 0.162; T3: ΔCFI = 0.161). The changes in CFI exceeded the recommended threshold of 0.01, supporting the empirical distinction between workplace social capital and career calling despite their strong concurrent associations. 3.3 Longitudinal measurement invariance This study primarily examined three models of invariant measurement at each time point for the sample: the Configural invariance model, the Metric/Weak invariance model (factor loadings equivalence), and the Scalar/Strong invariance model (item intercept equivalence). According to Chen (2007), if the differences in the fitting indicators of each model are less than the critical thresholds (ΔCFI < 0.01, ΔRMSEA < 0.015), then it is considered to have passed the specific equivalence test[ 24 ]. As shown in Table 3 , three variables can be considered to have passed the equivalence test. 3.4 Longitudinal linkages between workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement Guided by social cognitive theory and the correlation results, a longitudinal cross-lagged panel model was employed to examine the temporal associations among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement. A sequence of nested models was estimated and compared (Table 4 ). The final constrained model (M11) showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.978, RMSEA = 0.064, SRMR = 0.052) and did not significantly worsen model fit relative to the respecified model (M1) (Δχ² = 2.673, Δdf = 5, p > 0.05). Accordingly, we fixed all autoregressive paths of workplace social capital and work engagement, as well as all cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to career calling, from career calling to work engagement, and from workplace social capital to work engagement, to be time-invariant. Figure 2 displays the final cross-lagged model with standardized estimates. The findings indicate time-ordered and partially reciprocal associations among the three variables. Regarding workplace social capital and career calling, T1 workplace social capital positively influence T2 career calling ( β = 0.119, p = 0.013), whereas no significant effect of career calling on workplace social capital was observed. For workplace social capital and work engagement, T1 workplace social capital positively predicted T2 work engagement ( β = 0.121, p = 0.024), whereas T2 workplace social capital had no significant predictive effect on T3 work engagement ( β = -0.051, p = 0.340). In contrast, work engagement at T1 and T2 positively predicted workplace social capital at T2 and T3 ( β = 0.123, p = 0.015; β = 0.103, p = 0.016). A stable reciprocal association was observed between career calling and work engagement. Career calling at T1 and T2 positively predicted work engagement at T2 and T3 ( β = 0.149, p = 0.023; β = 0.442, p < 0.001), and, in turn, work engagement at T1 and T2 positively influenced career calling at T2 and T3 times ( β = 0.186, p < 0.001; β = 0.152, p < 0.001). Furthermore, Table 5 shows that, beyond the direct effects, several indirect pathways were observed. Specifically, T1 workplace social capital and T1 work engagement were indirectly associated with T3 work engagement through T2 career calling ( β = 0.053, p = 0.013; β = 0.082, p < 0.001). T1 workplace social capital and T1 career calling positively influenced T3 career calling through T2 work engagement ( β = 0.018, p = 0.042; β = 0.023, p = 0.012); In addition, T1 career calling indirectly predicted T3 workplace social capital through T2 work engagement ( β = 0.015, p = 0.047), with the lower bound of the confidence interval approaching zero. Table 1 Demographic characteristics (n = 470) Variable Category N(%) Gender Male 16(3.40) Female 454(96.60) Age(Mean, SD) 32.63,6.65 Education Undergraduate below 146(31.06) Undergraduate and above 324(68.94) Marital status Unmarried 114(24.26) Others 356(75.74) Professional title Junior 238(50.64) Intermediate 178(37.87) Senior 54(11.49) Years of work experience 0–5 135(28.72) 6–10 81(17.23) 11–15 172(36.60) 16–20 45(9.57) > 20 40(8.51) Leadership position Yes 75(15.96%) No 395(84.04%) Average working hours per week 70h 34(7.23) Night shifts per week 0 134(28.51) 1 130(27.66) 2 125(26.60) 3 25(5.32) ≥ 4 56(11.91) Note: (1) Percentages may not add up to 100% owing to rounding; (2) Abbreviation: SD standard deviation. Table 2 Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis of study variables (N = 470) 1.T1WSC MEAN(SD) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 3.594(0.861) -- -- 2.T2WSC 3.826(0.721) .449** -- 3.T3WSC 3.660(0.787) .488** .463** -- 4.T1CC 3.680(0.814) .870** .450** .479** -- 5.T2CC 3.858(0.760) .529** .672** .533** .526** -- 6.T3CC 3.740(0.782) .489** .454** .893** .521** .560** -- 7.T1WE 4.042(0.706) .660** .380** .378** .687** .433** .391** -- 8.T2WE 4.150(0.679) .414** .598** .392** .399** .765** .408** .488** -- 9.T3WE 4.119(0.677) .315** .332** .657** .334** .378** .693** .426** .441** -- Note: (1) Work Engagement (WE), Career calling (CC), Workplace social capital (WSC); (2)T1: Time 1; T2: Time 2; T3: Time 3; (3) *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. Table 3 Longitudinal measurement invariance model fitting index Model fit indices Model comparison X 2 df CFI TLI RMSEA SRMR Pairs ΔCFI ΔRMSEA WSC CIM 583.819 196 0.975 0.965 0.065 0.021 WIM 610.620 208 0.974 0.966 0.064 0.035 2 versus 1 0.001 0.001 SIM 625.175 220 0.974 0.968 0.063 0.036 3 versus 2 0 0.001 CC CIM 1575.172 534 0.951 0.942 0.064 0.032 WIM 1603.098 556 0.951 0.944 0.063 0.036 2 versus 1 0 0.001 SIM 1644.351 578 0.950 0.945 0.063 0.037 3 versus 2 0.001 0 WE CIM 629.961 254 0.972 0.961 0.056 0.034 WIM 650.518 266 0.971 0.962 0.055 0.038 2 versus 1 0 0 SIM 692.785 278 0.969 0.961 0.056 0.040 3 versus 2 0.002 0.001 Note: (1) Work Engagement (WE), Career calling (CC), Workplace social capital (WSC); (2) CIM: Configural invariance model; WIM: Metric /Weak invariance model; SIM: Scalar /Strong invariance model. Table 4 Model Fits and Comparisons for Cross-Lagged Panel Model Model Model fit indices Model comparison X 2 df CFI TLI RMSEA(90%CI) SRMR Pairs ΔX 2 Δdf P M1 108.83 33 0.977 0.938 0.07 0.051 M2 108.95 34 0.978 0.941 0.068 0.051 M2-M1 0.12 1 >0.05 M3 117.959 34 0.975 0.933 0.072 0.054 M3-M1 9.129 1 0.05 M5 114.096 34 0.976 0.936 0.071 0.053 M5-M1 5.266 1 0.05 M7 117.341 34 0.975 0.934 0.072 0.054 M7-M1 8.511 1 0.05 M9 114.350 34 0.976 0.936 0.071 0.053 M9-M1 5.52 1 0.05 M11 111.503 38 0.978 0.948 0.064 0.052 M11-M1 2.673 5 >0.05 Note: M1 = unconstrained baseline model; M2 = model with all the autoregressive paths of workplace social capital fixed to be time-invariant; M3 = model with all the autoregressive paths of career calling fixed to be time-invariant; M4 = model with all the autoregressive paths of work engagement fixed to be time-invariant; M5 = model with all the cross-lagged paths from career calling to workplace social capital fixed to be time-invariant; M6 = model with all the cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to career calling fixed to be time-invariant; M7 = model with all the cross-lagged paths from work engagement to career calling fixed to be time-invariant; M8 = model with all the cross-lagged paths from career calling to work engagement fixed to be time-invariant; M9 = model with all the cross-lagged paths from work engagement to workplace social capital fixed to be time-invariant; M10 = model with all the cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to work engagement fixed to be time-invariant; M11 = final model with the above supported equality constraints (model with all the autoregressive paths of workplace social capital and work engagement, all the cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to career calling, from career calling to work engagement, and from workplace social capital to work engagement fixed to be time-invariant). CFI = comparative fit index; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; 90% CI = 90% confidence interval; change in parameter. Table 5 The indirect effects of the mediation pathways Indirect paths Estimated value of the standardized indirect effect P Standardized 95% CI Lower limit Upper limit T1WSC→T2CC→T3WE 0.053 0.013 0.011 0.095 T1WE→T2CC→T3WE 0.082 0.000 0.043 0.122 T1WSC→T2WE→T3CC 0.018 0.042 0.001 0.036 T1CC→T2WE→T3CC 0.023 0.012 0.005 0.040 T1CC→T2WE→T3WSC 0.015 0.047 0.000 0.031 Note: (1) Work Engagement (WE), Career calling (CC), Workplace social capital (WSC) ;(2) T1: Time 1; T2: Time 2; T3: Time 3. 4. Discussion Guided by social cognitive theory, this three-wave cross-lagged panel model examined prospective associations among nurses’ workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement after controlling for demographic and work-related covariates. Overall, the findings depict a dynamically interconnected system linking environmental resources (workplace social capital), personal meaning (career calling), and behavioral engagement (work engagement). First, a reciprocal association between workplace social capital and work engagement was observed, with career calling partially mediating the longitudinal effect from earlier workplace social capital to subsequent work engagement. Second, although the direct effect between career calling and workplace social capital was not consistently supported, indirect cross-lagged pathways via work engagement suggested a dynamic reciprocal process between workplace social capital and career calling. Finally, a bidirectional relationship between nurses' career calling and work engagement was observed. Workplace social capital and work engagement: reciprocal associations and the role of career calling The findings of this study are consistent with the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, particularly the reciprocal prospective association between nurses' work engagement and workplace social capital. The basic psychological requirements of nurses, such as a sense of efficacy and belonging, can be met by abundant social capital (resources), which can also boost intrinsic motivation, lower barriers to work, and ultimately increase work engagement[ 25 ]. Prior studies have also linked social capital to job satisfaction and professional performance and suggested that it may buffer psychological stress and occupational burnout among clinical nursing personnel [ 26 ]. Conversely, nurses with high work engagement often display proactive, helpful, and upbeat behaviors, and they may be more inclined to invest in and develop social resources—for example, actively supporting coworkers, exchanging expertise, participating in group projects, and building trust-based relationships. Such behaviors may, in turn, be prospectively associated with later improvements in workplace social capital, forming a mutually reinforcing cycle in which devoted workers are not only recipients but also contributors to healthy social capital. In this sense, resources (workplace social capital) and commitment (work engagement) may be reciprocally linked over time. One possible (but exploratory) interpretation is that the association between workplace social capital and occupational outcomes may show diminishing returns at higher levels of accumulated resources, as suggested by prior research on potential nonlinear relationships[ 27 – 28 ]. This possibility warrants further testing in future research. Beyond the direct cross-lagged association, longitudinal mediation analyses further indicated that career calling partially accounted for the prospective association between workplace social capital and later work engagement. This pattern is compatible with reciprocity-based perspectives, which suggest that when nurses perceive adequate organizational support and experience a positive work environment, career growth opportunities, and recognition and respect, they may report greater psychological resources (e.g., responsibility and organizational pride), which is then associated with higher subsequent engagement[ 29 – 34 ]. Previous studies have also suggested that higher workplace social capital may strengthen person–organization fit and professional identity. Moreover, supportive leadership, active team participation, and effective communication may be linked to nurses’ autonomy and sense of control[ 25 ], potentially encouraging nurses to devote more effort to providing individualized, high-quality care in daily practice[ 35 ]. Workplace social capital and career calling: longitudinal associations and the role of work engagement Although the study's findings support the notion that workplace social capital can predict nurses' career calling, there was no evidence of a reciprocal relationship between the two. Specifically, we observed that T1 workplace social capital positively predicted T2 career calling, whereas the reverse direct cross-lagged path from career calling to subsequent workplace social capital was not evident across intervals. One possible interpretation is that the influence of social capital on occupational outcomes may vary across phases, and nurses may experience stronger gains in professional meaning when workplace relational resources are still developing. In this sense, higher levels of workplace social capital may be associated with feeling more purposeful and valued at work, particularly within teams characterized by trust, mutual aid, shared values, and effective connections. Consistent with prior evidence, a two-wave longitudinal study also reported that workplace social capital predicted career calling[ 36 ], suggesting that cooperative, reciprocal, and trust-based networks may be linked to stronger professional meaning over time. Notably, although the direct reciprocal association between workplace social capital and career calling was not consistently supported, the present study suggested an engagement-linked reciprocal process when work engagement was considered as a linking mechanism. Specifically, workplace social capital, as a key resource, may be prospectively associated with higher subsequent engagement, which in turn is associated with stronger career calling through positive work experiences. Meanwhile, stronger career calling may be associated with higher engagement, and engaged behaviors (e.g., helping, cooperation, and participation) may be prospectively associated with subsequent workplace social capital by reinforcing trust, norms, and workplace networks. This pattern is broadly compatible with resource-based perspectives such as the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model and the Resource Conservation Theory (COR), which emphasize that resources and positive states can become mutually reinforcing over time. Overall, these findings highlight the potential importance of nurses’ work engagement as a behavioral conduit linking workplace social capital and career calling, and suggest that supporting engagement may be relevant for fostering both team cohesion and professional meaning. Career calling and work engagement: bidirectional associations It is worth noting that the bidirectional prospective association between nurses’ career calling and work engagement was supported, whereas the mediating role of workplace social capital was not confirmed. Specifically, although a positive association between career calling and work engagement was observed over time, the indirect effect from T1 career calling to T3 work engagement via T2 workplace social capital was not statistically significant. This outcome aligns with the fundamental principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT)[ 37 ]. As a "mission-oriented" intrinsic motivation[ 38 ], career calling may be closely linked to nurses' emotional commitment and professional vitality through the satisfaction of core psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness[ 39 – 40 ]. Nurses who view nursing as a calling often find a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in their work, which may be prospectively associated with higher enthusiasm and engagement, as well as greater dedication and responsibility in daily practice[ 41 – 42 ]. In this context, a person's strong connection to the purpose of the nursing profession and internal values-driven motives, such as a sense of mission to “promote patient recovery”, are more significant sources of professional engagement than indirect external incentives[ 43 ]. This intrinsic motivational pathway may differ from the path that depends on external organizational support, such as workplace social capital. The former mainly relies on nurses' altruistic values and sense of mission to directly inspire focus and dedication[ 44 ], while the latter depends more on external factors like organizational atmosphere, colleague relationships, and leadership support[ 45 ]. Specifically, nurses' career calling is more vulnerable to psychological ownership[ 46 ]—that is, whether they see their work as an extension of their values—because they typically perform significant levels of emotional labor. This may help explain why calling may show a more direct linkage with engagement than a pathway operating through workplace social capital. At the same time, it is possible that some mission-driven nurses may internalize stereotypical expectations (e.g., the “selfless female role”), potentially encouraging rigid compliance rather than reflective engagement[ 44 , 47 ]. In addition, the workplace social capital scale used in this study focuses more on organizational and leadership-level evaluations, such as perceptions of trust in managers, organizational justice, and team atmosphere, which may not fully reflect the horizontal support networks formed by nurses in their daily work (such as peer support and departmental cooperation)[ 26 ]. Such measurement scope may partly account for why the indirect pathway through workplace social capital was not statistically supported. To our knowledge, this study is among the first to examine workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement simultaneously among nurses in a three-wave cross-lagged framework, extending prior cross-sectional work that has often focused on only two variables. In summary, this study suggests that workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement are prospectively linked in an integrated triadic pattern consistent with reciprocal determinism in social cognitive theory. Reciprocal cross-lagged associations were evident between workplace social capital and work engagement and between career calling and work engagement, whereas the direct cross-lagged association between career calling and workplace social capital was not consistently supported across intervals. The longitudinal mediation results further suggested engagement- and meaning-linked indirect pathways, indicating that work engagement may serve as a behavioral conduit linking workplace social capital and career calling, and that career calling may partially account for how workplace social capital is prospectively associated with later work engagement. For nursing management, this interconnected pattern underscores the importance of attending to all three domains in an integrated way. Managers may consider simultaneously strengthening workplace relational resources, supporting nurses’ professional meaning, and sustaining work engagement in daily practice, because improvements in any single domain may be linked to changes in the others over time. To gain a better understanding of the causal relationships between variables and to explore how cultural background factors, such as collectivist values, moderate these mechanisms, future research should utilize a mixed-methods design that combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches. 5. Limitations This study had several limitations that should be considered. First, the data were based on subjective reports from participants, which may introduce biases or errors. Future studies could benefit from incorporating data from other sources to provide a more comprehensive perspective. Second, this study was conducted at a single hospital in China, which may limit the representativeness of the sample. Additionally, it is unclear whether these findings can be generalized to other cultural contexts. Third, due to practical constraints, the time interval between the three waves of data in this study was relatively short, at only six months. While this time interval allowed us to capture initial changes and trends, a longer interval, such as one year, would be ideal and could help examine more accurate causal sequences in future investigations. 6. Conclusion This three-wave cross-lagged study suggests that nurses’ workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement are prospectively interconnected in a dynamic triadic pattern. The findings indicate that work engagement may act as a key behavioral linkage through which workplace social capital and career calling become indirectly connected over time, while career calling may partially account for how workplace social capital relates to subsequent engagement. In addition, the bidirectional prospective association between career calling and work engagement highlights the role of professional meaning and intrinsic motivation in sustaining nurses’ engagement. For nursing management, these findings imply the value of adopting integrated strategies that simultaneously strengthen workplace relational resources, support nurses’ professional meaning, and sustain work engagement in daily practice. Leaders may consider monitoring whether gains from workplace social capital show signs of plateauing in a given unit and, if so, complementing resource-focused initiatives with approaches that reinforce professional meaning or engagement-related behaviors to maintain momentum. Together, such coordinated efforts may be relevant for promoting a supportive practice environment and sustaining nurses’ engagement over time. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki, and Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics committee of Baoding No.4 Central Hospital (Approval No. 2024007). The informed consent was obtained from all of the subjects through an online questionnaire. Participants were also informed that they had the option to withdraw at any time. All methods in this study were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Funding No funding was received for this research. Author Contribution N.S. and Y.L. designed the study, analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. Y.N. and Y.X. helped to analyzed the data. R.Z. and F.B. helped to collect data. D.S. critically revised the data analysis and manuscript. L.C. and Y.W. provided professional advices on improving the study design and critically revised the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript. Niuniu Sun and Yamei Liang share the first authorship of this work. Acknowledgement The authors sincerely thank all nurses who participated in this study. Data Availability The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. References Lin Q, et al. The mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between professional calling and turnover intention among Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2025;24(1):429. Feng Z, et al. Long-term care system for older adults in China: policy landscape, challenges, and future prospects. Lancet. 2020;396(10259):1362–72. Adhikari R, Smith P. Global nursing workforce challenges: Time for a paradigm shift. Nurse Educ Pract. 2023;69:103627. Schaufeli WB, et al. The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. J Happiness Stud. 2002;3(1):71–92. Hetzel-Riggin MD, et al. Work Engagement and Resiliency Impact the Relationship Between Nursing Stress and Burnout. Psychol Rep. 2020;123(5):1835–53. Gómez-Salgado J, et al. Work engagement and psychological distress of health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Nurs Manag. 2021;29(5):1016–25. Wang Y, Gao Y, Xun Y. Work engagement and associated factors among dental nurses in China. BMC Oral Health. 2021;21(1):402. Zhou M, et al. The impact of hindrance-challenge stress on nurses' work engagement: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2025;24(1):1122. Hobfoll SE, Shirom A. Conservation of resources theory: Applications to stress and management in the workplace. Handb Organ Behav. 2000;2:57–81. Xu J-M, et al. Nurses’ Workplace Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An Integrative Review of Empirical Studies. J Nurs Adm Manag. 2024;2024(1):8362035. Oksanen T, et al. Workplace determinants of social capital: cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from a Finnish cohort study. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(6):e65846. Read EA. Workplace social capital in nursing: an evolutionary concept analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2014;70(5):997–1007. Ike OO, Chuke NU, Nnamchi OC. Panacea for improving mental health: the influential roles of social capital, resilience and job embeddedness on nurses’ mental health. Discover Mental Health. 2025;5(1):89. Clausen T, Meng A, Borg V. Does social capital in the workplace predict job performance, work engagement, and psychological well-being? A prospective analysis. J Occup Environ Med. 2019;61(10):800–5. Framke E, et al. The association of vertical and horizontal workplace social capital with employees’ job satisfaction, exhaustion and sleep disturbances: a prospective study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2019;92(6):883–90. Dik BJ, Duffy RD. Calling and vocation at work: Definitions and prospects for research and practice. Couns Psychol. 2009;37(3):424–50. Dobrow SR, Tosti-Kharas J. Calling: The development of a scale measure. Pers Psychol. 2011;64(4):1001–49. Xie SJ, et al. The impact of career calling on nurse burnout: A moderated mediation model. Int Nurs Rev. 2024;71(4):969–76. Bandura A. Human agency in social cognitive theory. Am Psychol. 1989;44(9):1175. Schaufeli WB, Bakker AB, Salanova M. The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educ Psychol Meas. 2006;66(4):701–16. Kouvonen A, et al. Psychometric evaluation of a short measure of social capital at work. BMC Public Health. 2006;6:251. Kline RB. Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford; 2023. Hu Lt, Bentler PM. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct equation modeling: multidisciplinary J. 1999;6(1):1–55. Chen FF. Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Struct equation modeling: multidisciplinary J. 2007;14(3):464–504. Xu J, et al. A contemporary understanding of nurses' workplace social capital: A response to the rapid changes in the nursing workforce. J Nurs Manag. 2020;28(2):247–58. Li, Qi, et al. Research Progress on Social Capital in Nurses' Workplaces. J Nurs Sci. 2023;38(09):108–11. Li Z, et al. An exploratory study on relationships among social capital, self-reported health and occupational stress in workplaces. Chin J Health Educ. 2016;32(12):1086–90. Tezuka M, et al. Association Between Workplace Social Capital and Neck Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Workers. J Occup Environ Med. 2022;64(4):e186–90. Ling Z, et al. The mediating effect of organizational justice on the relationship between person-organization fit and work engagement among ICU nurses. J Nurs Sci. 2025;40(04):62–5. Yang Z, Huang H, Li G. Status and influencing factors of work stress among nurse managers in western China: a cross-sectional survey study. BMC Nurs. 2024;23(1):68. Wang X et al. Associations of Occupational Stressors, Perceived Organizational Support, and Psychological Capital with Work Engagement among Chinese Female Nurses. Biomed Res Int, 2017. 2017: 5284628. Wen L, Qing-hua Z. The influence of organization identification on work engagement in nursing staff. Chin J Nurs. 2011;46(05):429–32. Xiaowen M, et al. The impact of nurse-physician collaboration and job engagement on nurses'. work performance Chin Nurs Manage. 2017;17(05):615–9. Galletta M, et al. A cross-lagged analysis of the relationships among workgroup commitment, motivation and proactive work behaviour in nurses. J Nurs Manag. 2019;27(6):1148–58. Yanyuan C, Zhongze G. The Mediating Role of Work Engagement between Job Autonomy and Job Performance: Evidence from Experience Sample Methods. Human Resources Development of China; 2015. pp. 56–63. 19. Wu Y et al. The Chain Mediating Roles of Professional Identity and Workplace Social Capital in the Relationship Between Inclusive Leadership and Burnout of Nurses: A Longitudinal Study. J Nurs Manag, 2025. 2025: 4713030. Onyishi IE, et al. Role of Career Satisfaction in Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Career Commitment of Nurses in Nigeria: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective. J Nurs Scholarsh. 2019;51(4):470–9. Yanhan Z, Bin H. The Double-edged Sword Effect of Career Calling: A Research Review and Future Prospects. Modernization Manage. 2024;44(04):191–201. Vo TTD, Tuliao KV, Chen CW. Work Motivation: The Roles of Individual Needs and Social Conditions. Behav Sci (Basel), 2022. 12(2). Guo L, Chelliah S. The impact of self-determination theory on work motivation: A critical review. Global Bus Manage Res. 2024;16(4s):1916–36. Park I-J, Hai S. Person-organization fit, person-job fit and organizational commitment among hotel employees: the roles of positive affect and calling. Int J Contemp Hospitality Manage. 2023;36(3):852–72. Xu L, et al. Mediation role of work motivation and job satisfaction between work-related basic need satisfaction and work engagement among doctors in China: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2022;12(10):e060599. Zeng D et al. Impact of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation on Work Engagement: A Cross-Sectional Study of Nurses Working in Long-Term Care Facilities. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022. 19(3). Carter M. Vocation and altruism in nursing: the habits of practice. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(6):695–706. Xiao-lei W, et al. The interaction model of social capital, health, occupation burnout, turnover intention and the related influence factors on nurses. Volume 27. CHINESE JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION; 2011. pp. 596–9. 8. Chang HY, et al. Relationship between psychological ownership of the nursing profession and turnover intention: A correlational survey among Taiwanese nurses. J Nurs Manag. 2022;30(7):2927–36. Kallio H, Kangasniemi M, Hult M. Registered nurses' perceptions of having a calling to nursing: A mixed-method study. J Adv Nurs. 2022;78(5):1473–82. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9072003","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":607240828,"identity":"f551e14e-8ea5-4ae2-bc44-a95cdc912604","order_by":0,"name":"Niuniu Sun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Niuniu","middleName":"","lastName":"Sun","suffix":""},{"id":607240830,"identity":"962e7142-a273-4578-a965-5dce8112eaab","order_by":1,"name":"Yamei Liang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yamei","middleName":"","lastName":"Liang","suffix":""},{"id":607240831,"identity":"35bc8817-520b-402d-a85b-13b0367f8781","order_by":2,"name":"Yang Ni","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yang","middleName":"","lastName":"Ni","suffix":""},{"id":607240832,"identity":"55c27a64-887a-4d9d-83a6-385a36897851","order_by":3,"name":"Ruihong Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Baoding No. 4 Central Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ruihong","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":607240833,"identity":"ceff92d3-6eda-4886-b997-9c9a33deab59","order_by":4,"name":"Yu Xing","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Henan University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yu","middleName":"","lastName":"Xing","suffix":""},{"id":607240834,"identity":"78b28704-2e9a-4a0a-a890-3e951c54d7ba","order_by":5,"name":"Fengsai Bie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fengsai","middleName":"","lastName":"Bie","suffix":""},{"id":607240835,"identity":"e6a39bb5-e06c-41ff-b92b-6d848dbbd379","order_by":6,"name":"Dongyu Song","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dongyu","middleName":"","lastName":"Song","suffix":""},{"id":607240836,"identity":"483fefa6-6740-474b-99d6-8ddda0ec5f77","order_by":7,"name":"Lin Cai","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA50lEQVRIie3QIQvCQBTA8XcczDK4+obgZzixin6VycC0sGiSibAV1yd+CpvxZHVoFTQsmQwDi4KI98RgmVs03D882MGP2zsAk+kfa7FQuZM+ANKXpOHWEM5mRZmP8UNkEwK8u4yyD4EGRMx51Lat/VSsQl7eggeIli/hvqkmmDFN7CPiSVnOQv+Ys7hIluTVRHIieESJrsVpF3nw6bCOyB0RfiUybEDm3dRVRKD9vgVriN5FP7LynPQwivQuPRvzc7BNfhARx4UaPQdCpF5W3h6djoi9dXH/Qb5iIU2bhmoETCaTyVTZC6RfR2QftTkSAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Sichuan Institute of Industrial Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lin","middleName":"","lastName":"Cai","suffix":""},{"id":607240837,"identity":"46df9ee7-2621-4481-8a38-c9fbd5b91d1f","order_by":8,"name":"Yibo Wu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of School of Medicine, and International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yibo","middleName":"","lastName":"Wu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-09 11:08:31","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9072003/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9072003/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104873862,"identity":"7c306fa8-bcd3-4e7f-950d-098408ef1a63","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-18 08:28:05","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":67048,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eConceptual framework based on Bandura's triadic reciprocal determinism.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9072003/v1/78821119a2830d92dc48cbd9.jpg"},{"id":104874137,"identity":"73c8168f-5090-4b22-aa04-38b490cf2715","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-18 08:29:13","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":92840,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCross-lagged panel model examining the longitudinal relationships between WSC, CC, and WE.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: (1)Work Engagement (WE), Career calling (CC), Workplace social capital (WSC); (2) One-way arrows indicate direct effect pathways; double headed arrows indicate concurrent covariance among variables at the same measurement time; Dashed lines indicate non-significant paths；(3) Demographic variables that include nurses’ age, marital status, professional title, years of work experience, leadership position, and the number of night shifts per week (not shown here to simplify the representation of the model); (4) T1: Time 1; T2: Time 2; T3: Time 3; (5) All the coefficients are standardized estimates; (6) *p \u0026lt; 0.05; **p \u0026lt; 0.01; ***p \u0026lt; 0.001.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9072003/v1/909f239fa057abaa3bc74bc1.jpg"},{"id":108421356,"identity":"c3f4b396-a9bc-487a-be02-a4e5fdc5a20d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-04 12:40:40","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":696545,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9072003/v1/805835ce-3859-4a06-a1a3-45bfaf068a0f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Longitudinal relationships between workplace social capital, career calling and work engagement among nurses: a three-wave cross-lagged study","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eNurses play a pivotal role in healthcare systems, undertaking critical responsibilities in disease prevention, patient rehabilitation, and health promotion[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. However, the globally prevalent issues of high workloads, emotional exhaustion, and high turnover rates among nurses pose a serious threat to the stability of the nursing workforce and the quality of care[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. In this context, how to effectively promote nurses\u0026rsquo; work engagement\u0026mdash;a positive cognitive and emotional state characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]\u0026mdash;has become a key concern for healthcare managers and researchers. High levels of work engagement are not only closely linked to the personal well-being of nurses but also significantly enhance the quality of care, reduce medical errors, and improve patient outcomes[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR6 CR7\" citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Although its importance is widely recognized, there is still a lack of systematic and longitudinal research clarifying how work engagement develops through ongoing interactions between organizational and psychological factors.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the perspective of understanding how individuals manage work-related stress and maintain a positive mindset, the Conservation of Resources Theory offers a valuable framework. This theory posits that individuals strive to acquire, retain, and protect their valuable resources[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. For nurses, work engagement serves not only as a crucial personal resource but also as the primary driving force that enables them to cope with workplace demands, achieve job-related goals, and foster personal growth[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. The development and sustainability of this driving force are not instinctive; rather, they are deeply influenced by the social networks and work environments in which nurses operate. Workplace social capital (WSC) has emerged as a crucial perspective for understanding nurses' work engagement because it acts as an essential resource that connects individuals and organizations. According to Oksanen et al., workplace social capital encompasses the shared attitudes and values among employees, mutual respect and trust among colleagues, collaboration, and collective participation in work, as well as trust in and reliance on leadership[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. In the context of nursing, workplace social capital is reflected in trust, norms of reciprocity, a shared vision, and high-quality social connections among nurses, colleagues, leaders, doctors, and other healthcare team members[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Research indicates that a strong workplace social capital provides nurses with valuable informational, emotional, and instrumental support, which are critical resources for coping with work stress and maintaining professional enthusiasm[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR14\" citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, in the fields of positive psychology and vocational psychology, Career Calling (CC) has gained increasing attention as a construct that characterizes the meaning of work. Career calling refers to a deep, self-transcending professional orientation where individuals view their work as a life goal, passion, and mission, experiencing a strong sense of calling from society or the self [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. In nursing, the sense of \u0026ldquo;calling\u0026rdquo; to care for and serve others often constitutes a central motivational foundation. Nurses with a strong sense of career calling are more likely to perceive challenges at work as meaningful sacrifices, thereby exhibiting higher job satisfaction, work engagement, and resilience[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR18\" citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. At the same time, professional meaning may influence how nurses interact with colleagues and contribute to their workplace environment, suggesting that calling may not only be shaped by contextual resources but may also shape them in return.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom a theoretical perspective, Bandura\u0026rsquo;s triadic reciprocal determinism within social cognitive theory provides a valuable framework for understanding these interrelationships[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e], and accordingly, we hypothesize that there are complex associations between these three variables, and their interactions form a dynamic system of influence (as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Bandura suggests that individual activity is a function of the continuous interaction among cognition, behavior, and environment. Social cognitive theory examines the individual\u0026rsquo;s cognition, behavior, and the environment as part of a dynamic system, where individuals understand and interpret their surrounding environment through cognitive processes and adjust their behaviors accordingly. In the work context, individuals\u0026rsquo; cognition of the work environment and professional goals can influence their level of work engagement and behavioral performance. Specifically, career calling (individual), workplace social capital (environment), and work engagement (behavior) may interact with each other. Workplace social capital may facilitate the development of career calling and work engagement, while high work engagement can enrich social capital. A clear career calling also drives individuals to expand social capital, creating a positive cycle that fosters career development.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn summary, the workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement of nurses may constitute a dynamic evolving system of 'environment-cognition-behavior,' but the mechanisms underlying their interactions remain unclear. Despite growing interest in workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement, most existing studies have relied on cross-sectional designs. Consequently, little is known about the temporal ordering, reciprocal influences, and potential indirect pathways among these constructs in nursing populations. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify whether and how these environmental, cognitive, and behavioral factors influence one another over time.Therefore, this study aims to examine the longitudinal associations among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement using a three-wave cross-lagged panel design. Specifically, we seek to explore whether reciprocal and indirect relationships exist over time, thereby providing evidence to inform organizational and psychological interventions in nursing settings.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research hypotheses of this study are as follows:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eH1\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorkplace social capital and work engagement demonstrate reciprocal longitudinal associations over time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eH2\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorkplace social capital and career calling demonstrate reciprocal longitudinal associations over time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eH3\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eCareer calling and work engagement demonstrate reciprocal longitudinal associations over time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eH4\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndirect longitudinal pathways may exist among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Participants and Procedures\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll registered nurses at the Fourth People's Hospital of Baoding City, China, were invited to participate in this longitudinal study. A baseline survey was conducted in March 2024 (T1), with 474 nurses completing the questionnaire. Following this, two consecutive online surveys were conducted every 6 months(T2 and T3). Questionnaires with substantial missing data or suspected random responses were excluded. As a result, 472 (99.58%) and 470 (99.16%) participants completed the second and third surveys, respectively. Data from the later waves were matched with previous wave data using specific coding methods.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter receiving approval from hospital management, the questionnaires were distributed to the nurses by the nursing management department. Participants were provided with detailed instructions on completing the surveys to ensure clarity and accuracy. The T1 survey collected demographic information, workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement, while T2 and T3 surveys focused solely on workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Measures\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.2.1 Demographic Information: This section was designed by the researchers based on the study's objectives and content, with the guidance of nursing experts after reviewing relevant literature. It included items such as gender, age, highest educational qualification, marital status, professional title, years of work experience, leadership position, weekly working hours, average number of night shifts per week.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.2.2 Work Engagement Scale (WES): Developed by Schaufeli et al (2006)[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. The scale includes three dimensions\u0026mdash;vigor, dedication, and absorption\u0026mdash;with a total of nine items. A 5-point Likert scale is used, where higher scores indicate higher levels of work engagement. For the current study, Cronbach's α for the WES was 0.947 (T1), 0.948 (T2), and 0.954 (T3).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.2.3 Workplace Social Capital Scale (WSCS): Developed by Kouvonen et al (2006)[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. The scale consists of two dimensions\u0026mdash;cognitive social capital (three items) and structural social capital (five items)\u0026mdash;with a total of eight items. It uses a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating higher levels of workplace social capital. For scores in the present study, Cronbach's α for the WSCS was 0.963 (T1), 0.974 (T2), and 0.968 (T3).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.2.4 Calling Scale-12 (CS-12): Developed by Dobrow and Tosti-Kharas (2011)[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. This is a unidimensional scale with 12 items, using a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate a stronger sense of calling. In the current study, Cronbach's α for the CS-12 was 0.964 (T1), 0.964 (T2), and 0.973 (T3).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3 Data Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study employed SPSS 27.0 to conduct statistical analyses, including correlations, means, and standard deviations for each variable. Prior to testing the cross-lagged model, longitudinal measurement invariance was examined. Mplus version 8.3 was then used to fit a structural equation model to examine the cross-lagged associations between workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement in nurses, with age, marital status, professional title, years of work experience, leadership position, and number of night shifts worked per week as covariates. Covariates measured at T1 were included as time-invariant baseline covariates.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndirect effects were tested using bootstrapping with 1000 resamples, and statistical significance was determined when the 95% confidence interval did not include zero. The model fit was evaluated using several indices: chi-square, Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR)[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Acceptable model fit was defined as: CFI and TLI\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;0.90, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.08, and SRMR\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.08[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Characteristics of the study sample\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe average age of the 470 participants was 32.63 years(SD\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;6.65), and 96.60% (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;454) of the participants were female. More than half of nurses held a bachelor's degree or above, 75.74%(n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;356) were married, and 88.51%(n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;416) held junior or intermediate professional titles. Detailed characteristics are presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Descriptive analysis and correlation analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e presents the means, standard deviations, and correlations. The results of the correlation analyses, both within and across waves, indicate that the associations between workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement are all significant and in the expected direction.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotably, the concurrent correlations between workplace social capital and career calling were high at T1 and T3 (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.870 and r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.893, respectively). To address potential concerns regarding discriminant validity, we conducted item-level CFA model comparisons at T1 and T3. The hypothesized three-factor model (workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement) demonstrated a significantly better fit than alternative models combining workplace social capital and career calling into a single factor(T1: ΔCFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.133; T3: ΔCFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.134) and a one-factor model (T1: ΔCFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.162; T3: ΔCFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.161). The changes in CFI exceeded the recommended threshold of 0.01, supporting the empirical distinction between workplace social capital and career calling despite their strong concurrent associations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Longitudinal measurement invariance\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study primarily examined three models of invariant measurement at each time point for the sample: the Configural invariance model, the Metric/Weak invariance model (factor loadings equivalence), and the Scalar/Strong invariance model (item intercept equivalence). According to Chen (2007), if the differences in the fitting indicators of each model are less than the critical thresholds (ΔCFI\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, ΔRMSEA\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.015), then it is considered to have passed the specific equivalence test[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. As shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, three variables can be considered to have passed the equivalence test.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4 Longitudinal linkages between workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eGuided by social cognitive theory and the correlation results, a longitudinal cross-lagged panel model was employed to examine the temporal associations among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement. A sequence of nested models was estimated and compared (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The final constrained model (M11) showed acceptable fit (CFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.978, RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.064, SRMR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.052) and did not significantly worsen model fit relative to the respecified model (M1) (Δχ\u0026sup2; = 2.673, Δdf\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Accordingly, we fixed all autoregressive paths of workplace social capital and work engagement, as well as all cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to career calling, from career calling to work engagement, and from workplace social capital to work engagement, to be time-invariant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e displays the final cross-lagged model with standardized estimates. The findings indicate time-ordered and partially reciprocal associations among the three variables. Regarding workplace social capital and career calling, T1 workplace social capital positively influence T2 career calling (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.119, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.013), whereas no significant effect of career calling on workplace social capital was observed. For workplace social capital and work engagement, T1 workplace social capital positively predicted T2 work engagement (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.121, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.024), whereas T2 workplace social capital had no significant predictive effect on T3 work engagement (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e = -0.051, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.340). In contrast, work engagement at T1 and T2 positively predicted workplace social capital at T2 and T3 (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.123, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.015; \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.103, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.016). A stable reciprocal association was observed between career calling and work engagement. Career calling at T1 and T2 positively predicted work engagement at T2 and T3 (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.149, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.023; \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.442, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), and, in turn, work engagement at T1 and T2 positively influenced career calling at T2 and T3 times (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.186, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001; \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.152, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e shows that, beyond the direct effects, several indirect pathways were observed. Specifically, T1 workplace social capital and T1 work engagement were indirectly associated with T3 work engagement through T2 career calling (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.053, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.013; \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.082, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). T1 workplace social capital and T1 career calling positively influenced T3 career calling through T2 work engagement (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.018, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.042; \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.023, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.012); In addition, T1 career calling indirectly predicted T3 workplace social capital through T2 work engagement (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.015, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.047), with the lower bound of the confidence interval approaching zero.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDemographic characteristics (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;470)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCategory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN(%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16(3.40)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e454(96.60)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAge(Mean, SD)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.63,6.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUndergraduate below\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e146(31.06)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUndergraduate and above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e324(68.94)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarital status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnmarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e114(24.26)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e356(75.74)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional title\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e238(50.64)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntermediate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e178(37.87)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54(11.49)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYears of work experience\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u0026ndash;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e135(28.72)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u0026ndash;10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81(17.23)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u0026ndash;15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e172(36.60)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u0026ndash;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(9.57)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40(8.51)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLeadership position\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75(15.96%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e395(84.04%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eworking hours\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eper week\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;40h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e64(13.62)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41-50h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e189(40.21)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51-60h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e126(26.81)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61-70h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57(12.13)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;70h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34(7.23)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNight shifts\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eper week\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e134(28.51)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e130(27.66)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e125(26.60)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25(5.32)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56(11.91)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003eNote: (1) Percentages may not add up to 100% owing to rounding; (2) Abbreviation: SD standard deviation.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics and correlation analysis of study variables (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;470)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"11\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.T1WSC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMEAN(SD)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.594(0.861)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.T2WSC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.826(0.721)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.449**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.T3WSC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.660(0.787)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.488**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.463**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.T1CC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.680(0.814)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.870**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.450**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.479**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.T2CC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.858(0.760)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.529**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.672**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.533**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.526**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.T3CC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.740(0.782)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.489**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.454**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.893**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.521**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.560**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.T1WE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.042(0.706)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.660**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.380**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.378**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.687**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.433**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.391**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.T2WE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.150(0.679)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.414**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.598**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.392**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.399**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.765**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.408**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.488**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.T3WE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.119(0.677)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.315**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.332**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.657**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.334**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.378**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.693**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.426**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.441**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e--\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eNote: (1) Work Engagement (WE), Career calling (CC), Workplace social capital (WSC); (2)T1: Time 1; T2: Time 2; T3: Time 3; (3) *P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, **P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, ***P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLongitudinal measurement invariance model fitting index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"10\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel fit indices\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel comparison\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eX\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003edf\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTLI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRMSEA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSRMR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePairs\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eΔCFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eΔRMSEA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWSC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e583.819\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e196\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.975\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.965\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.065\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e610.620\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e208\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.974\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.966\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 versus 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e625.175\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e220\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.974\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.968\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.063\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.036\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 versus 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1575.172\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e534\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.951\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.942\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.032\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1603.098\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e556\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.951\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.944\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.063\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.036\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 versus 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1644.351\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e578\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.950\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.945\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.063\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.037\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 versus 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e629.961\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e254\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.972\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.961\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.056\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.034\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e650.518\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e266\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.971\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.962\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.055\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.038\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 versus 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e692.785\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e278\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.969\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.961\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.056\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.040\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 versus 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"10\"\u003eNote: (1) Work Engagement (WE), Career calling (CC), Workplace social capital (WSC);\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(2) CIM: Configural invariance model; WIM: Metric /Weak invariance model; SIM: Scalar /Strong invariance model.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel Fits and Comparisons for Cross-Lagged Panel Model\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"11\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel fit indices\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel comparison\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eX\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003edf\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCFI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTLI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRMSEA(90%CI)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSRMR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePairs\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eΔX\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eΔdf\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e108.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.977\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.938\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e108.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.978\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.941\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.068\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM2-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e117.959\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.975\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.933\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.072\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.054\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM3-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e109.224\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.977\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.069\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM4-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.394\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e114.096\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.976\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.936\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.071\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM5-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.266\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e109.339\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.977\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.069\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM6-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.509\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e117.341\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.975\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.934\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.072\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.054\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM7-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.511\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e109.155\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.977\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.069\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM8-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.325\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e114.350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.976\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.936\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.071\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM9-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e109.236\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.977\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.069\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM10-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.406\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e111.503\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.978\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.948\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.052\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM11-M1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.673\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eNote:\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM1\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;unconstrained baseline model;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the autoregressive paths of workplace social capital fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM3\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the autoregressive paths of career calling fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM4\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the autoregressive paths of work engagement fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM5\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the cross-lagged paths from career calling to workplace social capital fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM6\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to career calling fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM7\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the cross-lagged paths from work engagement to career calling fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM8\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the cross-lagged paths from career calling to work engagement fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM9\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the cross-lagged paths from work engagement to workplace social capital fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003eM10\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;model with all the cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to work engagement fixed to be time-invariant;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eM11\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;final model with the above supported equality constraints (model with all the autoregressive paths of workplace social capital and work engagement, all the cross-lagged paths from workplace social capital to career calling, from career calling to work engagement, and from workplace social capital to work engagement fixed to be time-invariant).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCFI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;comparative fit index; RMSEA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;root mean square error of approximation; 90% CI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;90% confidence interval;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003echange in parameter.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe indirect effects of the mediation pathways\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndirect paths\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEstimated value of the standardized indirect effect\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStandardized 95% CI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLower limit\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUpper limit\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT1WSC\u0026rarr;T2CC\u0026rarr;T3WE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.013\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.095\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT1WE\u0026rarr;T2CC\u0026rarr;T3WE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.082\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.043\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.122\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT1WSC\u0026rarr;T2WE\u0026rarr;T3CC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.018\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.036\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT1CC\u0026rarr;T2WE\u0026rarr;T3CC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.040\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT1CC\u0026rarr;T2WE\u0026rarr;T3WSC\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.015\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.031\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003eNote: (1) Work Engagement (WE), Career calling (CC), Workplace social capital (WSC) ;(2) T1: Time 1; T2: Time 2; T3: Time 3.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eGuided by social cognitive theory, this three-wave cross-lagged panel model examined prospective associations among nurses\u0026rsquo; workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement after controlling for demographic and work-related covariates. Overall, the findings depict a dynamically interconnected system linking environmental resources (workplace social capital), personal meaning (career calling), and behavioral engagement (work engagement). First, a reciprocal association between workplace social capital and work engagement was observed, with career calling partially mediating the longitudinal effect from earlier workplace social capital to subsequent work engagement. Second, although the direct effect between career calling and workplace social capital was not consistently supported, indirect cross-lagged pathways via work engagement suggested a dynamic reciprocal process between workplace social capital and career calling. Finally, a bidirectional relationship between nurses' career calling and work engagement was observed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eWorkplace social capital and work engagement: reciprocal associations and the role of career calling\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings of this study are consistent with the Job Demands\u0026ndash;Resources (JD-R) model, particularly the reciprocal prospective association between nurses' work engagement and workplace social capital. The basic psychological requirements of nurses, such as a sense of efficacy and belonging, can be met by abundant social capital (resources), which can also boost intrinsic motivation, lower barriers to work, and ultimately increase work engagement[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Prior studies have also linked social capital to job satisfaction and professional performance and suggested that it may buffer psychological stress and occupational burnout among clinical nursing personnel [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. Conversely, nurses with high work engagement often display proactive, helpful, and upbeat behaviors, and they may be more inclined to invest in and develop social resources\u0026mdash;for example, actively supporting coworkers, exchanging expertise, participating in group projects, and building trust-based relationships. Such behaviors may, in turn, be prospectively associated with later improvements in workplace social capital, forming a mutually reinforcing cycle in which devoted workers are not only recipients but also contributors to healthy social capital. In this sense, resources (workplace social capital) and commitment (work engagement) may be reciprocally linked over time. One possible (but exploratory) interpretation is that the association between workplace social capital and occupational outcomes may show diminishing returns at higher levels of accumulated resources, as suggested by prior research on potential nonlinear relationships[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. This possibility warrants further testing in future research.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Beyond the direct cross-lagged association, longitudinal mediation analyses further indicated that career calling partially accounted for the prospective association between workplace social capital and later work engagement. This pattern is compatible with reciprocity-based perspectives, which suggest that when nurses perceive adequate organizational support and experience a positive work environment, career growth opportunities, and recognition and respect, they may report greater psychological resources (e.g., responsibility and organizational pride), which is then associated with higher subsequent engagement[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR30 CR31 CR32 CR33\" citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. Previous studies have also suggested that higher workplace social capital may strengthen person\u0026ndash;organization fit and professional identity. Moreover, supportive leadership, active team participation, and effective communication may be linked to nurses\u0026rsquo; autonomy and sense of control[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e], potentially encouraging nurses to devote more effort to providing individualized, high-quality care in daily practice[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eWorkplace social capital and career calling: longitudinal associations and the role of work engagement\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough the study's findings support the notion that workplace social capital can predict nurses' career calling, there was no evidence of a reciprocal relationship between the two. Specifically, we observed that T1 workplace social capital positively predicted T2 career calling, whereas the reverse direct cross-lagged path from career calling to subsequent workplace social capital was not evident across intervals. One possible interpretation is that the influence of social capital on occupational outcomes may vary across phases, and nurses may experience stronger gains in professional meaning when workplace relational resources are still developing. In this sense, higher levels of workplace social capital may be associated with feeling more purposeful and valued at work, particularly within teams characterized by trust, mutual aid, shared values, and effective connections. Consistent with prior evidence, a two-wave longitudinal study also reported that workplace social capital predicted career calling[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e], suggesting that cooperative, reciprocal, and trust-based networks may be linked to stronger professional meaning over time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Notably, although the direct reciprocal association between workplace social capital and career calling was not consistently supported, the present study suggested an engagement-linked reciprocal process when work engagement was considered as a linking mechanism. Specifically, workplace social capital, as a key resource, may be prospectively associated with higher subsequent engagement, which in turn is associated with stronger career calling through positive work experiences. Meanwhile, stronger career calling may be associated with higher engagement, and engaged behaviors (e.g., helping, cooperation, and participation) may be prospectively associated with subsequent workplace social capital by reinforcing trust, norms, and workplace networks. This pattern is broadly compatible with resource-based perspectives such as the Job Demands\u0026ndash;Resources (JD-R) model and the Resource Conservation Theory (COR), which emphasize that resources and positive states can become mutually reinforcing over time. Overall, these findings highlight the potential importance of nurses\u0026rsquo; work engagement as a behavioral conduit linking workplace social capital and career calling, and suggest that supporting engagement may be relevant for fostering both team cohesion and professional meaning.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eCareer calling and work engagement: bidirectional associations\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e It is worth noting that the bidirectional prospective association between nurses\u0026rsquo; career calling and work engagement was supported, whereas the mediating role of workplace social capital was not confirmed. Specifically, although a positive association between career calling and work engagement was observed over time, the indirect effect from T1 career calling to T3 work engagement via T2 workplace social capital was not statistically significant. This outcome aligns with the fundamental principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT)[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. As a \"mission-oriented\" intrinsic motivation[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e], career calling may be closely linked to nurses' emotional commitment and professional vitality through the satisfaction of core psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. Nurses who view nursing as a calling often find a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in their work, which may be prospectively associated with higher enthusiasm and engagement, as well as greater dedication and responsibility in daily practice[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. In this context, a person's strong connection to the purpose of the nursing profession and internal values-driven motives, such as a sense of mission to \u0026ldquo;promote patient recovery\u0026rdquo;, are more significant sources of professional engagement than indirect external incentives[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis intrinsic motivational pathway may differ from the path that depends on external organizational support, such as workplace social capital. The former mainly relies on nurses' altruistic values and sense of mission to directly inspire focus and dedication[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e], while the latter depends more on external factors like organizational atmosphere, colleague relationships, and leadership support[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. Specifically, nurses' career calling is more vulnerable to psychological ownership[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]\u0026mdash;that is, whether they see their work as an extension of their values\u0026mdash;because they typically perform significant levels of emotional labor. This may help explain why calling may show a more direct linkage with engagement than a pathway operating through workplace social capital. At the same time, it is possible that some mission-driven nurses may internalize stereotypical expectations (e.g., the \u0026ldquo;selfless female role\u0026rdquo;), potentially encouraging rigid compliance rather than reflective engagement[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, the workplace social capital scale used in this study focuses more on organizational and leadership-level evaluations, such as perceptions of trust in managers, organizational justice, and team atmosphere, which may not fully reflect the horizontal support networks formed by nurses in their daily work (such as peer support and departmental cooperation)[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. Such measurement scope may partly account for why the indirect pathway through workplace social capital was not statistically supported.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo our knowledge, this study is among the first to examine workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement simultaneously among nurses in a three-wave cross-lagged framework, extending prior cross-sectional work that has often focused on only two variables. In summary, this study suggests that workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement are prospectively linked in an integrated triadic pattern consistent with reciprocal determinism in social cognitive theory. Reciprocal cross-lagged associations were evident between workplace social capital and work engagement and between career calling and work engagement, whereas the direct cross-lagged association between career calling and workplace social capital was not consistently supported across intervals. The longitudinal mediation results further suggested engagement- and meaning-linked indirect pathways, indicating that work engagement may serve as a behavioral conduit linking workplace social capital and career calling, and that career calling may partially account for how workplace social capital is prospectively associated with later work engagement. For nursing management, this interconnected pattern underscores the importance of attending to all three domains in an integrated way. Managers may consider simultaneously strengthening workplace relational resources, supporting nurses\u0026rsquo; professional meaning, and sustaining work engagement in daily practice, because improvements in any single domain may be linked to changes in the others over time. To gain a better understanding of the causal relationships between variables and to explore how cultural background factors, such as collectivist values, moderate these mechanisms, future research should utilize a mixed-methods design that combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Limitations","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study had several limitations that should be considered. First, the data were based on subjective reports from participants, which may introduce biases or errors. Future studies could benefit from incorporating data from other sources to provide a more comprehensive perspective. Second, this study was conducted at a single hospital in China, which may limit the representativeness of the sample. Additionally, it is unclear whether these findings can be generalized to other cultural contexts. Third, due to practical constraints, the time interval between the three waves of data in this study was relatively short, at only six months. While this time interval allowed us to capture initial changes and trends, a longer interval, such as one year, would be ideal and could help examine more accurate causal sequences in future investigations.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"6. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis three-wave cross-lagged study suggests that nurses\u0026rsquo; workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement are prospectively interconnected in a dynamic triadic pattern. The findings indicate that work engagement may act as a key behavioral linkage through which workplace social capital and career calling become indirectly connected over time, while career calling may partially account for how workplace social capital relates to subsequent engagement. In addition, the bidirectional prospective association between career calling and work engagement highlights the role of professional meaning and intrinsic motivation in sustaining nurses\u0026rsquo; engagement. For nursing management, these findings imply the value of adopting integrated strategies that simultaneously strengthen workplace relational resources, support nurses\u0026rsquo; professional meaning, and sustain work engagement in daily practice. Leaders may consider monitoring whether gains from workplace social capital show signs of plateauing in a given unit and, if so, complementing resource-focused initiatives with approaches that reinforce professional meaning or engagement-related behaviors to maintain momentum. Together, such coordinated efforts may be relevant for promoting a supportive practice environment and sustaining nurses\u0026rsquo; engagement over time.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e The study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki, and Ethics approval was obtained from the Ethics committee of Baoding No.4 Central Hospital (Approval No. 2024007). The informed consent was obtained from all of the subjects through an online questionnaire. Participants were also informed that they had the option to withdraw at any time. All methods in this study were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo funding was received for this research.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eN.S. and Y.L. designed the study, analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. Y.N. and Y.X. helped to analyzed the data. R.Z. and F.B. helped to collect data. D.S. critically revised the data analysis and manuscript. L.C. and Y.W. provided professional advices on improving the study design and critically revised the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript. Niuniu Sun and Yamei Liang share the first authorship of this work.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors sincerely thank all nurses who participated in this study.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLin Q, et al. The mediating effect of work engagement on the relationship between professional calling and turnover intention among Chinese nurses: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2025;24(1):429.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFeng Z, et al. Long-term care system for older adults in China: policy landscape, challenges, and future prospects. Lancet. 2020;396(10259):1362\u0026ndash;72.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAdhikari R, Smith P. 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J Nurs Manag. 2022;30(7):2927\u0026ndash;36.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKallio H, Kangasniemi M, Hult M. Registered nurses' perceptions of having a calling to nursing: A mixed-method study. J Adv Nurs. 2022;78(5):1473\u0026ndash;82.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Workplace social capital, Career calling, Work engagement, Nurses, Longitudinal study, Cross-lagged panel model","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9072003/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9072003/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNurses experience substantial occupational strain, including burnout and turnover intention, underscoring the need to better understand factors related to their occupational well-being. This study examined the reciprocal longitudinal relationships among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement in nurses.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA three-wave survey was conducted among 470 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Hebei Province, China. Workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement were measured at six-month intervals using validated scales. Cross-lagged panel models were used to examine time-ordered associations and longitudinal mediation effects among the three variables, adjusting for covariates.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e Workplace social capital and career calling were significantly associated with higher subsequent levels of work engagement across waves. Work engagement was, in turn, associated with later levels of workplace social capital and career calling. Career calling partially mediated the longitudinal association between workplace social capital and work engagement. Additionally, workplace social capital was positively associated with subsequent career calling, and indirect associations involving work engagement were observed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study indicates a dynamic and interconnected pattern of longitudinal associations among workplace social capital, career calling, and work engagement in nurses. Work engagement appears to play an important linking role between workplace social capital and career calling over time, rather than functioning solely as an outcome variable. Interventions targeting any one of these domains may therefore have broader implications within this interconnected system.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Longitudinal relationships between workplace social capital, career calling and work engagement among nurses: a three-wave cross-lagged study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-18 08:26:26","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9072003/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e1440099-e0b8-4304-a415-2c2978793e27","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 18th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-04T12:40:11+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-18 08:26:26","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9072003","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9072003","identity":"rs-9072003","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}