Investigation of the Relationship Between Professional Self-Esteem and Caring Behaviors in Nurses: A Correlational Study

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between professional self-esteem and caring behaviours among nurses. Material and Methods: A descriptive-correlational design was employed. The study was conducted with 505 nurses in a city hospital between October and December 2021. Data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the Professional Self-Esteem Scale (PSES), and the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 (CBI-24). The relationship between professional self-esteem and caring behaviours was examined using Pearson’s correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis was employed to determine whether professional self-esteem had an impact on caring behaviours. The significance level was accepted as p<0.05 in the analysis of the data. Results: The nurses’ mean scores were 95.86±15.20 from the PSES and 5.14±0.69 41 from the CBI-24, and there was a significant relationship between their professional self-esteem and the level of caring behaviors (p=0.001). It was found that the nurses had moderate-level professional self-esteem and that their perception of the quality of patient care was high. A one-unit increase in their professional self-esteem levels increased the level of caring behaviors significantly by 0.009 times. Conclusion: This study revealed that positively developed professional self-esteem would positively affect caring behaviors. Therefore, it is recommended that policies and programs that will improve nurses’ professional self-esteem be developed and implemented. Keywords: Caring behaviors, nurse, professional self-esteem.