Journal of Clinical Care and Skills

Aims: Given the important role of nurses in pediatric wards, where they experience considerable emotional and psychological stress, identifying factors that affect their distress tolerance is essential. Therefore, this study aimed to predict distress tolerance based on core self-evaluations and self-efficacy among nurses working in pediatric wards in Iran.
Instrument & Methods: This descriptive-correlational study included all nurses working in Pediatric wards in North Khorasan Province in 2025. Due to the limited population size, census sampling was used, and 130 nurses participated. Data were collected using the Distress Tolerance Scale, the Core Self-Evaluation Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Validity was confirmed by psychology and nursing experts, and reliability was supported by acceptable Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression in SPSS 24 software.
Findings: The mean of distress tolerance was 47.45±3.50, self-efficacy was 62.14±4.30, and core self-evaluation was 47.05±5.40. Distress tolerance had a positive and significant correlation with core self-evaluation (r=0.43; p<0.01) and self-efficacy (r=0.2; p<0.05). Multiple regression analysis also showed that core self-evaluations significantly predicted distress tolerance, whereas self-efficacy did not.
Conclusion: Core self-evaluations can effectively predict nurses’ distress tolerance, whereas self-efficacy does not appear to play a significant role.