Self-Reported Caring Behaviors, Structural Empowerment, and Psychological Empowerment Among Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Caring behaviors are central to professional nursing practice and the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care. Structural empowerment concerns nurses’ access to information, resources, support, and opportunities, whereas psychological empowerment reflects meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. Although structural and psychological empowerment have been associated with favorable nursing and organizational outcomes, the moderating role of psychological empowerment in the relationship between structural empowerment and self-reported caring behaviors remains underexplored. This study aimed to determine whether psychological empowerment moderates the relationship between structural empowerment and self-reported caring behaviors among nurses in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 206 nurses. Data were collected using validated self-reported measures. Analyses included descriptive, correlation, covariate-adjusted hierarchical regression, sensitivity analyses, and secondary nonlinear and exploratory mediation analyses. Results: Structural empowerment was positively associated with self-reported caring behaviors (r = 0.38, p < 0.001) and psychological empowerment (r = 0.52, p < 0.001). Psychological empowerment was strongly correlated with self-reported caring behaviors (r = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.61–0.76, p < 0.001) and remained positively associated after adjustment (B = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.38–0.60, p < 0.001). The adjusted interaction provided insufficient evidence for hypothesized moderation (B = −0.022, 95% CI: − 0.046 to 0.001, p = 0.066), consistent with the sensitivity analyses. Secondary analyses identified a nonlinear psychological empowerment- self reported caring behaviors association and an exploratory indirect association through psychological empowerment (indirect estimate = 0.066; bootstrap 95% CI, 0.045–0.091). Conclusions: Structural empowerment and psychological empowerment were positively correlated with self-reported caring behaviors among nurses. Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at psychological empowerment requires longitudinal or experimental research.