Impact of Nurse Leadership Style and Wellbeing Among Nurses in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objectives: This systematic review examines how nurse leaders' leadership styles affect Saudi healthcare nurses' job happiness and well-being. It will also examine how leadership style affects nurse burnout, emotional distress, and stress, and whether well-being decline varies by nationality. Methods: The study objectives were met by a PRISMA-compliant systematic review. English papers published between January 2000 and December 2024 were found in PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and PsychINFO. Boolean operators “AND” and “OR” combined search phrases “nursing leadership,” “nursing job satisfaction,” “wellbeing,” and “leadership style.” The search targeted Saudi nurses. Results: This review uniquely gathers literature on Saudi nursing supervisor management styles and staff well-being. Leadership is essential to creating a supportive atmosphere through professional growth and lifetime learning. Analysis shows that transformational leadership improves organizational outcomes by building trust, motivation, belonging, and collaboration. Despite not improving job satisfaction or stress, transactional leadership helps complete tasks. Laissez-faire management always causes job unhappiness and burnout. The review covers the research gap on leadership's effects on job satisfaction, well-being, burnout, and workplace bullying. Conclusion: Positive working circumstances, nurse well-being, and turnover reduction require effective leadership. Nurse leader performance impacts patient and worker outcomes. Complex healthcare contexts require flexible leadership. Self-awareness, performance evaluation, and workplace aspects promote employee well-being. Leaders should emphasize relationships and assistance. To raise knowledge of how leadership styles affect staff well-being, all organizational levels need targeted, evidence-based leadership training.