What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how nurses’ cultural competence and humility affect their perception of human dignity.

June 3, 2026Open Access

The relationship between nurses’ cultural competence and cultural humility levels and their perception and understanding of human dignity

Key Points

The aim is to explore how nurses’ cultural competence and humility affect their perception of human dignity.
Descriptive-correlational research design was employed with 318 nurses.
Data collection used three scales: Health Workers Cultural Competence Scale, Cultural Humility Scale, and Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing Scale.
Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation tests.
Positive relationships were identified between cultural competence, cultural humility, and perception of human dignity (r: 0.22–0.34; p < 0.05).
Nurses with higher cultural competence and humility demonstrated a stronger commitment to respecting human dignity in care.
Mean scores revealed high awareness and sensitivity regarding human dignity among nurses.

Abstract

The nursing profession rests on an ethical foundation based on respect for the right to health of individuals and the protection of human dignity under all circumstances. Human dignity is at the center of nursing care, recognizing that each individual is unique, valuable, and worthy of respect. This ethical principle becomes even more critical in health care services where cultural differences are felt intensely. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nurses’ cultural competence and cultural humility levels, as well as their perception and understanding of human dignity. The study was conducted as a descriptive-correlational research. This study was conducted with 318 nurses working in a public hospital in Gaziantep, Türkiye. The data were collected using the “Health Workers Cultural Competence Scale”, “Cultural Humility Scale”, and “Perception and Understanding of Human Dignity in Nursing Scale”. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation tests were used to analyze the data. The mean age of the nurses was 28.74 ± 5.29 years, and 71.4% were female. Most participants had a bachelor’s degree (72.0%), and 51.9% were single. Nurses had high levels of awareness and sensitivity (28.16 ± 3.66), resource ownership and registration (17.00 ± 4.88), attitude (37.16 ± 10.11), patient-centered communication (11.29 ± 3.01), interaction and practice orientation (24.28 ± 3.20), self-assessment (37.41 ± 6.96), cultural humility (77.53 ± 13.05), and perception and understanding of human dignity (201.07 ± 25.61). Positive but generally weak relationships were found between cultural competence, cultural humility, and the perception of human dignity (r: 0.22–0.34; p < 0.05). It was observed that nurses with high levels of cultural competence and humility more strongly adopted a care approach that respects human dignity. In this context, it is recommended that nursing education content be developed to include both affective and behavioral dimensions.

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