LAUSR

INTRODUCTION Nurses' turnover is the main cause of nursing shortages, greatly affected by nurses' intention to leave. Nurses' turnover rate is particularly high in psychiatric wards. Several factors influencing the turnover intention of psychiatric nurses have not been well identified in China, and the association between job stress and turnover intention is still limited. AIMS To examine the relationship between job stress and turnover intention and identify the influencing factors of psychiatric nurses' turnover intention. METHODS Data were collected from 2,355 psychiatric Chinese nurses using a cross-sectional design with an online questionnaire investigation. RESULTS Psychiatric nurses had higher turnover intention. Significant factors influencing their turnover intention were job stress, having more children, age between 31 and 39 years old, part-time jobs, education, income, and patient-to-nurse ratio. DISCUSSION Demographics and job-related factors should be considered when developing strategies to reduce the turnover intention of psychiatric nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Nursing managers should pay attention to nurses with higher job stress levels and different demographic characteristics. Effective measures should be taken to reduce psychiatric nurses' job stress and turnover intention, such as arranging reasonable shifts, implementing targeted family-friendly policies, increasing their occupational possibilities, and promoting mental health.