The Role of Personality Traits in the Psychological Capital of Nurses with the Mediation of Career Path Adaptability

Background: With the development of the positive psychology approach and changes in the work setting, attention to personality traits, psychological capital, and career path adaptability have played a role in the success of employees more than before. Objectives: The role of personality traits in the psychological capital of nurses was mediated by career path adaptability. Methods: The present study was applied in terms of purpose, descriptive in terms of method, and correlational in terms of type. The statistical population of this study included all the nurses of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2022. Hereby, 220 nurses were selected from the selected hospitals through voluntary sampling. Data collection tools included Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness (NEO) Personality Inventory (2000), and Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) (2012), and psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ) (2007). Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling using SPSS and AMOS24 at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Pearson's correlation test showed a significant relationship between personality traits, psychological capital, and career path adaptability. Also, the results of the Sobel test showed that career path adaptability plays a mediating role between personality traits and psychological capital (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Nurses’ personality traits should be considered to select nurses. Nurses who have desired career path adaptability can better adapt to job changes, which leads to an increase in their psychological capital.