Effects of compassion fatigue, structural empowerment, and psychological empowerment on the caring behaviours of intensive care unit nurses in China: A structural equation modelling analysis.

Background: Caring behaviours play a pivotal role in nursing. The negative correlation between caring behaviours and compassion fatigue in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been extensively researched. Nevertheless, considerable gaps persist in comprehending the associations of psychological empowerment and structural empowerment with outcomes, particularly in the highly stressful environment of the ICU.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine how compassion fatigue, structural empowerment, and psychological empowerment impact the caring behaviours of ICU nurses in China via a structural equation modelling analysis.

Design: A cross-sectional study through convenience sampling was conducted in the ICU of 24 hospitals in China from February to June 2021.

Methods: A self-designed demographic questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Caring Behaviors Inventory, the Chinese version of the Compassion Fatigue Short Scale, the Chinese version of the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, and the Chinese version of the Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire-12 were used to survey ICU nurses.

Results: A total of 450 ICU nurses were recruited. The final model showed a good model fit. In the ICU nurse population, compassion fatigue (β = -0.582; 95% confidence interval: [-0.686, -0.455]) had a direct negative relationship with caring behaviours, whereas both structural empowerment (β = 0.448; 95% confidence interval: [0.372, 0.572]) and psychological empowerment (β = 0.438; 95% confidence interval: [0.333, 0.563]) had indirect positive associations with caring behaviours through compassion fatigue.

Conclusions: Our findings revealed a direct negative association between compassion fatigue and caring behaviours, whereas both structural empowerment and psychological empowerment are indirectly positively associated with caring behaviours through compassion fatigue amongst ICU nurses in China. Our research revealed that positive improvements in structural empowerment and psychological empowerment were associated with enhancements in compassion fatigue mitigation and the fostering of caring behaviours amongst ICU nurses in practice.