Iran Journal of Nursing

Introduction
Patient Care is the main task in nursing profession. The ultimate goal of any healthcare system is to improve the quality of patient care, where nurses play an important role. Many external and internal organizational factors play a role in creating a favorable clinical environment for using the abilities of nurses, identifying their potentials, and improving their performance. One of these factors is the leadership style of nursing managers. By choosing an appropriate leadership style, nursing managers can increase the participation of nurses in decision-making, empower them, create motivation in them, increase their job satisfaction, reduce their tension, and improve their performance. And as a result, they can maintain or improve the quality of care and the health level of the society. This study aims to determine the relationship between the leadership style of nursing managers and the caring behaviors of nurses in selected hospitals in Tehran, Iran.
Methods
This is a descriptive-correlational study with cross-sectional design that was conducted from April to July 2021 on 240 nurses working in selected hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. They were selected using a stratified sampling method including simple random method based on the entry criteria. Data were collected by self-report method using leadership the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Wolf et al.’ Caring Behavior Inventory (CBI). Data analysis was done in SPSS software, version 16 using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent t-test, analysis of variance). The significance level was set at 0.05.
Results
Most of nurses (58.9%) were 30-39 years old, female (83.2%), with bachelor's degree (90.7%), married (63.6%) with permanent employment (50.9%). The work experience of 28.5% was 5-10 years, and 90.7% had rotating work shifts. The mean score of the dimensions of CBI were as follows: Professional knowledge and skill 25.89±3.34, attention to the experiences of others 20.64±2.81, ensuring human presence 60.61± 7.64, communication and positive attitude 45.3±6.05, and communicating respectfully 56.57±7.68. 
Discussion
The results of this study showed no statistically significant relationship between leadership styles and caring behaviors of nurses. According to the mean score of communicating respectfully in the avoidant behavior leadership style, nursing managers are recommended to use transformational leadership style, because in this leadership style, the presence of a realistic perspective and the participation of nurses in decision-making and attention to their individual needs provide the possibility of developing and empowering nurses to establish respectful communication. 
The results of the study showed the positive relationship of work experience and age of the nurses with their caring behaviors. it is recommended to use experienced nurses in teaching hospitals to teach new nurses about different types of caring behaviors. They can be an example for less experienced nurses and transfer their knowledge to them. 

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
Following the principles of research ethics.Ethical permission for this study was received from the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences and Medical Services (Code: IR.IUMS.REC.1399.111.

Funding
This article is a part of the thesis findings of Marzieh Soltani, Master of Nursing Management, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. The financial sponsor of this project was Iran University of Medical Sciences and Medical Services.

Authors' contributions
Supervision, data analysis: Tahmina Salehi; Drafting, project management, editing and finalization: Marzieh Soltani; Data analysis: Hamid Haqqani.

Conflict of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments
We would like to express our gratitude to the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Iran University of Medical Sciences and Medical Services for supporting this approved plan. Also, we sincerely thank the officials of the selected hospitals and all the nurses who patiently and honestly gave their time to the researcher.


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