The Relationship Between Intensive Care Nurses' Professional Values, Self‐Compassion, and Care Behaviors
Ferhat Daşbilek, Mizgin Demir, Gülcan Bahçecioğlu TuranABSTRACT
Background
Professional values are fundamental determinants of nursing care quality and ethical practice. Self‐compassion has emerged as an important psychological resource that may support nurses' well‐being and caregiving performance, particularly in demanding environments such as intensive care units. However, limited evidence exists regarding the relationships among professional values, self‐compassion and caring behaviours in intensive care nurses.
Aim
To examine the relationships between intensive care nurses' professional values, self‐compassion and caring behaviours and to determine the mediating role of self‐compassion in the relationship between professional values and caring behaviours.
Study Design
A descriptive and correlational study was conducted in the intensive care units of a university hospital in eastern Türkiye between November 2025 and February 2026. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Nurses' Professional Values Scale, Short Form Self‐Compassion Scale, and Caring Behaviors Inventory. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, and PROCESS Macro (Model 4) mediation analysis were used.
Results
A total of 134 intensive care nurses participated in the study. Professional values and caring behaviours were high (149.91 ± 12.02 and 167.32 ± 16.73, respectively), whereas self‐compassion was moderate (36.66 ± 8.41). Significant positive correlations were found among professional values, self‐compassion, and caring behaviours (p < 0.01). Professional values significantly predicted self‐compassion (β = 0.418) and caring behaviours (β = 0.580), while self‐compassion significantly predicted caring behaviours (β = 0.222). After controlling for gender, income status, unit of work, and number of patients cared for, self‐compassion partially mediated the relationship between professional values and caring behaviours (indirect effect = 0.129; 95% CI: 0.036–0.223). The model explained 53% of the variance in caring behaviours.
Conclusions
Professional values influence intensive care nurses' caring behaviours both directly and indirectly through self‐compassion. Self‐compassion appears to be an important psychological mechanism that strengthens the positive effect of professional values on caring behaviours. Enhancing self‐compassion may contribute to improving nursing care quality in intensive care settings.
Relevance to Clinical Practice
Interventions aimed at strengthening self‐compassion and educational programmes that promote professional values may enhance caring behaviours among intensive care nurses and improve the quality of patient care.