The purpose of this study was to assess both direct and indirect relationships between professional
commitment, job satisfaction, and work stress in public health nurses (PHNs) in Taiwan. The two
major questions addressed were as follows: What were the professional commitment, job
satisfaction, and work stress among PHNs? What model accurately portrays the relationships
between these three independent variables? Exploration of the causal pathways among these
variables revealed a fitness model. A structured, self-administered questionnaire with three scales
was distributed to the subjects. A total of 258 subjects completed the questionnaire, yielding a 90%
response rate. Results demonstrate a significant, direct, and positive effect of professional
commitment on job satisfaction, as well as a significant inverse influence of job satisfaction on work
stress. An indirect effect of professional commitment on work stress through job satisfaction was
also revealed in the findings. All paths in the model were significant ( P b .05). The findings of the
study can help show that professional commitment plays an antecedent role to job satisfaction
and work stress of nurses. This study suggests that professional commitment is an important
factor related to work stress and that health care institutions should be concerned with this
issue. (Index words: Professional commitment; Work stress; Job satisfaction; Public health
nursing) J Prof Nurs 23:110– 6, 2007. A 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved