PURPOSE: The purpose of this research is to study the impact of individual factors such as emotional intelligence (EI) and spiritual intelligence (SI) on the caring behavior of nurses.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using questionnaire was conducted by sampling 550 nurses working in seven major public hospitals in Malaysia. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).
RESULTS: The main findings are: (1) critical existential thinking and transcendental awareness dimensions of SI have significant impacts on assurance of human presence dimension of caring behavior; (2) personal meaning production and conscious state expansion dimensions of SI have significant impacts on perception of emotion and managing own emotions dimensions of EI; and (3) managing own emotions dimension of EI has significant impacts on respectful deference to other and assurance of human presence dimensions of caring behavior of nurses.
CONCLUSION: The results can be used to recruit and educate nurses.
KEYWORDS: Caring behavior; Emotional intelligence; Malaysia; Nurses; Spiritual intelligence
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.