Falvo, R., Colledani, D., & Capozza, D.
Denying full humanity to patients and nurses’ well-being: The moderating role of attachment security
The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between patient dehumanizing perceptions and nurses’ well-being, by testing the hypothesis that this relationship may be moderated by secure attachment orientation. A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying Italian nurses through a questionnaire. Humanity attributions to patients and nurses were assessed using uniquely human and non-uniquely human traits; well-being was assessed using job burnout and work engagement measures. Results showed patient infrahumanization effects, with nurses perceiving patients as less defined by uniquely human characteristics than nurses. A moderating effect of attachment security was found for work engagement, indicating that nurses defined by low security may be more inclined to resort to patient infrahumanization to improve well-being at work than their high-security colleagues. Practical implications of findings for the nursing profession and healthcare organizations are discussed.
Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 2021, Vol. 28, pp. 329-342, DOI: 10.4473/TPM28.3.4
