The Mediating Role of Psychological Well- Being in the Impact of Ethical Climate Perception on Organizational Identification among Nurses

Objective: This study aims to examine the mediating role of psychological well-being in the relationship between ethical climate perception and organizational identification among nurses. 1Cappadocia University, Faculty of Computer and Information Technologies, Management Information Systems Department, Nevşehir, Türkiye 2Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University, Social Sciences Vocational School, Management and Organisation Department, Karaman, Türkiye Methods: This study employs a quantitative research method and utilizes a "relational research design." The sample of the study consists of 260 nurses actively working at a state hospital in Türkiye. Data analysis was conducted using the SPSS program with the addition of the Process Macro software. Results: The analyses revealed a significant and positive relationship between the variables. The results indicated that nurses’ perceptions of ethical climate, psychological well-being, and organizational identification were above moderate levels. Correlation analyses revealed significant positive relationships between ethical climate perception and psychological well-being (r = .316, P < .001), ethical climate perception and organizational identification (r = .379, P < .001), and psychological well-being and organizational identification (r = .200, P < .001). Analysis using the PROCESS Macro (Model 4) revealed that psychological well-being mediates the effect of perceived ethical climate on organizational identification. Conclusion: The study found that psychological well-being plays a full mediating role in the effect of ethical climate perception on organizational identification among nurses. These findings empirically indicate that a positive ethical climate fosters nurses’ organizational identification primarily by enhancing their psychological well-being. Therefore, hospital management is advised to focus on cultivating an ethical organizational climate to support nurses' well-being and, consequently, their identification with the institution.