Do nurses really care? Confirming the stereotype with a case control study

Abstract

In their definition of modern nursing, the Royal College of Nursing emphasizes the importance of caring. However, there is little other than anecdotal evidence that female qualified staff nurses are more caring and compassionate than average individuals. A study was carried out to test, under scientific conditions with a case control study, the hypothesis that staff nurses are no more caring than average female individuals. Using the ten-item personality inventory (TIPI) questionnaire, a statistical comparison was made between 174 volunteer female staff nurses and data for 760 adult female controls extracted from the TIPI instrument's original validation study. The questionnaire measures each of the five major facets of personality: openness, extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism. Agreeableness, which is a tendency to be compassionate, considerate and cooperative, was used as a proxy measure for 'caring'. Data were analysed using unpaired Student's t-tests. Female staff nurses recorded significantly higher scores than female controls concerning the personality traits extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and emotional stability (P<0.05). The analysis demonstrates that in direct comparison to normal adult females, staff nurses are significantly more caring, conscientious and resilient individuals. The personality traits found in female staff nurses complement their profession and to some extent justify the caring, compassionate nurse stereotype. Whether career nursing self-selects these qualities or to what extent nursing staff develop aspects of their personality as a product of experience is a subject for debate.