The Role of Emotional and Cognitive Empathy, Moral Metacognition and Quality of Life in Predicting Moral Behavior of Nurses

Abstract

Background: Today, ethics has become an integral part of human life and moral behavior plays an important role in improving the performance and effectiveness of organizations. As a result, this study aimed to determine the role of emotional and cognitive empathy, moral metacognition and quality of life in predicting moral behavior nurses. Method: The present study was cross-sectional from type of correlation. The study population includes nurses the hospitals of Varamin city in 2019 (N=359) which from them 200 nurses were selected as a sample by stratified random sampling method. Data were collected by the questionnaires of emotional and cognitive empathy (Reniers et al), moral metacognition (McMahon & Good), quality of life (WHO) and moral behavior (Swanson & Hill). Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression with enter model methods in SPSS-19 software. Results: The findings showed that emotional empathy, cognitive empathy, moral metacognition and quality of life had a positive and significant relationship with moral behavior of nurses. In addition, the variables of emotional and cognitive empathy, moral metacognition and quality of life were able to predict 56% of the changes in moral behavior of nurses (P<0.01). Conclusion:According to the results, to improve the moral behavior of nurses, their emotional and cognitive empathy, moral metacognition and quality of life can be improved.

A New Pyramid Model of Empathy

“…The concept of empathy is used to refer to a wide range of psychological abilities that are considered to be central elements for a person to be able to perceive what other people think and feel, participate emotionally with them, share thoughts and feelings and take care of their well-being. Empathy has a metacognitive dimension [2,119]. The individual must have a cognitive sense of self and others, as separate beings, with independent internal states, which are partly reflected in externalized behavior as well as separate living conditions.…”