Objective To explore the mediating effect of reflective ability on the occupational attitude and leisure crafting of junior nurses. Methods From April to May 2023，a convenience sampling method was used to select 343 junior nurses from three tertiary hospitals in Zhengzhou City as the research participants. A questionnaire survey was conducted using the Nursing Occupational Attitude Scale，Leisure Crafting Scale，and Clinical Nurses’ Reflective Ability Scale. Results The scores on leisure crafting，occupational attitude，and reflective ability of junior nurses were 28（21，34） points，96（84，106） points，and 69（58，78） points，respectively. Relevant analysis showed that occupational attitude was positively correlated with leisure crafting and reflective ability（r=0.588，P<0.001；r=0.712，P<0.001），and leisure crafting was also positively correlated with reflective ability （r=0.626，P<0.001）. The structural equation model showed that occupational attitude could directly affect leisure crafting（direct effect value was 0.226，95%CI：0.096~0.348），and could also indirectly affect leisure crafting through reflective ability（indirect effect value was 0.297，95%CI：0.223~0.382），accounting for 56.68% of the total effect. Conclusion Reflective ability plays a partial mediating role between the occupational attitude and leisure crafting of junior nurses. Nursing managers can take effective measures to enhance the occupational attitude and reflective ability of junior nurses，thereby promoting their leisure crafting behavior.