The mediating and moderating roles of surface acting and perceived organizational support in the relationship between perceived overqualification and silence behavior among young nurses: A cross-sectional study

Dongrun Liu, Qixu Zhou, Shiwei Ma, Song Zhang, Yang Liu, Huanhuan Zhang, Kaige Li and Chaoran Chen

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Purpose: Young nurses represent the primary workforce for the future of the nursing industry. However, they often experience a heightened sense of overqualification, which can easily lead to silence behavior, negatively impacting personal well-being, organizational development, and the quality of nursing care. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between perceived overqualification and silence behavior among young nurses, as well as the mediating role of surface acting and the moderating role of perceived organizational support. Method: The Scale of Perceived Overqualification, the surface acting dimension of the Emotional Labor Scale, the Employee Silence Scale, and the Perceived Organizational Support Scale were used to conduct a cross-sectional survey of 1,095 young nurses from six general hospitals in China. A moderated mediation model was constructed, and data were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Models 4 and 59). Results: There are significant correlations among perceived overqualification, surface acting, silence behavior, and perceived organizational support (p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0356282

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0356282

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