Chinelo Nneka Ikeanyi¹ , Anthony Waka Udezi², Penaere Clark Osahon²

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate job satisfaction of community pharmacy support staff and its associated demographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on support staff in 300 community pharmacies in South-eastern Nigeria using a validated 18-item structured questionnaire. Principal component analysis employed varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization and listwise deletion of missing data. Inferential analysis, Cronbach’s Alpha and communalities determination were conducted using SPSS 27.0. while t tests and One-Way ANOVA were used to determine associations between demographic variables and job satisfaction components at a 0.05 significance level. Results: Respondents were predominantly female (65.4 %), single (83.5 %), and aged 18 – 25 years (55.9 %), with a mean age of 22.8 years. Most had tertiary education (56.7 %) and earned above $14.8 (? 20,000) monthly (55.9 %). Seven key components of job satisfaction identified include work-life balance and organizational stability, supportive work environment, wellness and motivation systems, compensation and financial well-being, professional development, ethical climate, and organizational commitment and autonomy. Gender, age, marital status, education, income, and work shift were significantly associated with various job satisfaction components. Compensation and growth opportunities were major sources of dissatisfaction, and supportive leadership and autonomy were found to enhance job satisfaction. Conclusion: Gender, age, marital status, education, income, and work patterns influenced the job satisfaction of support staff in south-eastern Nigeria community pharmacies. Commensurate compensation, flexible work shifts and opportunities for personal and career development can enhance job satisfaction.