Psychosocial Predictors of Developmentally Supportive Care Competency Among NICU Nurses in South Korea: Self-Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and Nursing Professionalism

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BACKGROUND: Developmentally supportive care (DSC) for preterm infants is essential for promoting optimal growth and neurodevelopment in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). However, successful implementation of DSC depends not only on institutional systems but also on individual nurse attributes. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the influence of self-leadership, emotional intelligence (EI), and nursing professionalism on DSC competency among NICU nurses. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted with 130 NICU nurses from 8 hospitals in South Korea. Data were collected using validated instruments measuring self-leadership, EI, nursing professionalism, and DSC competency. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: The mean DSC competency score was 2.83 of 4, with "professional development" scoring the lowest among its subdomains. DSC competency levels were higher among nurses who were married, had children, had longer clinical experience, were assigned more than 4 patients, and reported higher monthly income. EI (β = 0.41, P < .001), nursing professionalism (β = 0.28, P < .001), more than 10 years of total clinical experience (β = 0.27, P = .011), and self-leadership (β = 0.25, P = .003) were identified as significant predictors of DSC competency, explaining 69% of the variance. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: Findings suggest that psychosocial attributes-particularly EI-are critical enablers of developmental care. Interventions aimed at fostering EI, nursing professionalism, and self-leadership may provide a useful framework for future research examining strategies to support DSC competency in NICU settings.

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