THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEAD NURSES' LEADERSHIP STYLE AND NURSES' MORAL COURAGE IN EDUCATIONAL-TREATMENT CENTERS IN URMIA IN 2020-2021

Leadership style is very important in hospital management and in increasing the effectiveness and quality of health care services, and moral courage is an essential component in the behavior of nurses and it has an important effect on the quality of care provided by them, which is affected by various factors. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between head nurses' leadership style and nurses' moral courage.

In this correlational study performed in 2020, the research population consisted of all the nurses in educational-treatment centers of Urmia University of Medical Sciences (n=300) that were selected by stratified random sampling. Data collection tools were the standard Bus and Olivier Leadership Multi-Factor Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Professional Moral Courage Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.19 software using descriptive and inferential statistics, Pearson correlation, and linear regression tests.

According to Pearson correlation results, ideal characteristics (r = 0.45), ideal behaviors (r=0.44), and exception-based management (active) (r = 0.44) had positive and moderate correlation with moral courage. The components of inspirational motivation, subjective persuasion, individual considerations, conditional reward, and exception-based (passive) management had a weak correlation with moral courage. The variables of ideal characteristics, exception-based (active) management, ideal behaviors, and inspirational motivation predicted 27 % of variance in nurses' moral courage. 

Based on the results, there is a significant relationship between head nurses' leadership style and nurses' moral courage, and choosing the right leadership styles and improving the leadership skills of head nurses can help promote nurses' moral courage and thus improve the quality of nursing care.