Self-transcendence and professional identity among undergraduate nursing students: a moderated mediation model of learning engagement and career self-efficacy.
BMC Psychology April 27, 2026 Ziyun Yuan, Yong Fang
Among 447 full-time undergraduate nursing students in Wuhan, China, self-transcendence—a sense of expanding personal boundaries and finding meaning—positively influenced professional identity. Part of this effect was explained by learning engagement, which acted as a mediator. However, higher career self-efficacy weakened the link between self-transcendence and learning engagement, suggesting that students who already feel confident about their career abilities rely less on self-transcendence to stay engaged. The findings clarify how these factors interact and point to ways to support professional identity development in nursing education.