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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1389591

The Impact of Empathy on Professional Identity among Chinese Junior Male Nurses: A Moderated Mediation Model

Provisionally accepted
Hezi Mu Hezi Mu Yi Cui Yi Cui Lihua Zhang Lihua Zhang Qin Liu Qin Liu Lanfang Zhang Lanfang Zhang Haoshuang Yang Haoshuang Yang Changchang Chen Changchang Chen Na Liu Na Liu *Yinling Zhang Yinling Zhang *
  • Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Nursing care is essential, but the role of junior male nurses in medical and health services is underestimated; thus, many junior male nurses leave the profession due to a lack of professional identity.Objective: This study examined how the mediating effect of emotional intelligence and the moderating role of locomotion mode influence the relationship between empathy and professional identity among Chinese junior male nurses. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among junior male nurses in China from December 2021 to May 2022. We asked participants from ten hospitals to complete a questionnaire regarding empathy, emotional intelligence, locomotion mode, and professional identity. Bootstrap and simple slope methods were used to test the moderated mediation model.Results: Emotional intelligence partly mediated the effects of perspective-taking on professional identity (β=0.253, P<0.05). Furthermore, locomotion mode moderated the relationships between perspective-taking and emotional intelligence, perspective-taking and professional identity, and emotional intelligence and professional identity (β=0.136, P<0.01; β=0.107, P<0.05; β= -0.155, P<0.01).The findings revealed that ,the mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relation between perspective-taking and professional adaptability was moderated by locomotion mode. whereas. These findings are meaningful for early intervention and the improvement of professional identity among junior male nurses.

    Keywords: junior male nurses, Empathy, Locomotion mode, Emotional Intelligence, professional identity

    Received: 21 Feb 2024; Accepted: 21 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Mu, Cui, Zhang, Liu, Zhang, Yang, Chen, Liu and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Na Liu, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
    Yinling Zhang, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.