Identifying Key Antecedents of Quiet Quitting Among Nurses: A Cross‐Profession Meta‐Analytic Review
Ruijia Geng, Xiulin Geng, Sujuan Geng
Abstract
AIM: This study aims to identify key antecedents of quiet quitting across industries through a three-level meta-analysis, evaluate their relevance to nursing and highlight aspects that have been under-explored in the nursing field, with the goal of guiding future research and interventions to improve nurse retention and engagement. DESIGN: A three-level meta-analytic design incorporating subgroup analyses and moderator analyses was used to integrate quantitative evidence from studies across different industries and professions to examine the antecedents of quiet quitting. DATA SOURCES: Data were sourced from EBSCO, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, JSTOR, ProQuest, SpringerLink, Emerald and Google Scholar for articles published between January 2020 and January 2025. Preprints from Research Square were also included. RESULTS: Perceived workplace support reduces the likelihood of quiet quitting. Conversely, workplace conflicts, perceived injustice, burnout and stress are positively correlated with quiet quitting, with nurses exhibiting a higher tolerance for these factors compared to other sectors. Negative traits and passive work orientations exacerbate quiet quitting, whereas positive traits and proactive orientations show no significant effect across sectors. Additionally, organisational involvement, job satisfaction and well-being significantly reduce quiet quitting behaviours. CONCLUSION: Quiet quitting is a widespread issue across various industries, including nursing. The findings call for nursing research to expand its focus beyond emotional exhaustion and workplace conflict to include nurses' psychological contracts breach and violations, nurses' individual traits, the degree of embeddedness within healthcare organisations and the maintenance of reciprocal exchanges. IMPACT: This study identifies the key factors influencing nurses' quiet quitting, providing evidence to support the development of effective retention strategies for nursing leaders and policymakers. This is expected to improve nurse retention and job satisfaction, which, in turn, can enhance care quality and patient safety, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of healthcare systems. REPORTING METHOD: PRISMA reporting method has been followed. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct or reporting. TRIAL AND PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: A protocol for this study is preregistered at Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/4z5hs).