Denying full humanity to patients and nurses’ well-being: The moderating role of attachment security

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between patient dehumanizing perceptions and nurses’ well-being, by testing the hypothesis that this relationship may be moderated by secure attachment orientation. A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying Italian nurses through a que-stionnaire. Humanity attributions to patients and nurses were assessed using uniquely human and non-uniquely human traits; well-being was assessed using job burnout and work engagement measures. Re-sults showed patient infrahumanization effects, with nurses perceiving patients as less defined by uniquely human characteristics than nurses. A moderating effect of attachment security was found for work engagement, indicating that nurses defined by low security may be more inclined to resort to patient infrahumanization to improve well-being at work than their high-security colleagues. Practical implications of findings for the nursing profession and healthcare organizations are discussed.