The Relationship Among Nurse Leaders' Humanistic Care Behavior, Nurses' Professional Identity, and Psychological Security

Objectives: We investigated the relationship among humanistic care behavior, nurses’ professional identity, and psychological security among nurse leaders in tertiary hospitals in Beijing, China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling to select 1600 clinical nurses from 5 general tertiary hospitals. Participants were surveyed electronically using the Socio-Demographic Profile Questionnaire, the Scale of Humanistic Care Behavior Shown by Nurse Leaders to Nurses, the Nurses’ Professional Identity Scale, and the Psychological Security Scale. Results: A total of 1600 questionnaires were distributed, and 1526 valid questionnaires were collected. There was a significant positive correlation between nurse leaders’ humanistic care behavior and nurses' professional identity (r=0.66, p<.001). There was also a significant positive correlation between nurse leaders’ humanistic care behavior and psychological security (r=0.45, p<.001) and between psychological security and nurses' professional identity (r=0.64, p<.001). A multiple regression analysis showed that the humanistic care behavior of nurse leaders and the psychological security of nurses influenced nurses’ professional identity. Structural equation modelling analysis showed that psychological security played a mediating role in the humanistic care behavior of nurses and nurses’ professional identity (ß=0.210, p<.001). Conclusions: The humanistic care behavior of nurse leaders significantly affects nurses’ professional identity and psychological security scores. Nurse leaders’ humanistic care can also indirectly affect professional identity through psychological security as a mediator; therefore, in nursing management, improving nurse leaders’ humanistic care behavior can improve nurses’ professional identity.