Nurses' caring and empathy in Jordanian psychiatric hospitals: A national survey

Nurses working in psychiatric hospitals need to acquire the skills of therapeutic communication and empathy, and have higher levels of caring. The present study aims to investigate the level of caring and empathy among nurses working in psychiatric hospitals. A cross‐sectional survey was utilized to collect data from 205 nurses recruited from three psychiatric hospitals in Jordan. The Background Information Questionnaire, Modified Caring Dimensions Inventory, and Toronto Empathy Questionnaire were administered to the recruited participants. The findings revealed that the sampled nurses had a high level of caring and empathy. Significant correlations were found between caring and having a specialized training in mental health nursing, and having organizational and managerial support. However, no significant correlations were found between empathy and participants' characteristics. Specialized training in mental health nursing, having organizational and managerial support, and empathy were found predictors for caring.