Pilot Randomised Trial of Calibrated Formula Volumes to Optimise Growth in Infants at Risk for Overweight: The Califormula Randomised Clinical Trial.

The essence and cornerstone of the nursing profession is caring. It encompasses two fundamental aspects: instrumental caring, reflected in knowledge and skills such as proficient clinical operations and health education, and expressive caring, reflected in emotional connection such as respect, empathy, emotional support, and attentive listening (Romero‐Martín et al. ). In clinical practice, these caring aspects are manifested through specific, observable caring behaviours. Research has shown that caring behaviours contribute to improved nursing care quality and reduced missed nursing care (Almutairi et al. ). However, the level of caring behaviours among nurses in China remains suboptimal, particularly in the expressive aspects (Zhou et al. ). Therefore, identifying effective strategies to enhance nurse caring behaviours has become a critical focus in nursing management. Leadership is one of the important supports for nurses and other healthcare professionals (Gunawan et al. ). As the leader of nurses, the leadership style of nursing managers can affect the attitudes and behaviours of nurses (Zhang, Tian, et al. ). As a leadership style emphasizing employee care, support, and motivation, caring leadership has recently received increasing scholarly attention. By prioritizing nurse well‐being and professional development, caring leadership contributes to reduced occupational burnout and improved nurse–patient relationships, ultimately promoting higher‐quality care. Prior research demonstrates that caring leadership positively predicts nurses' caring behaviours (Zhang, Peng, et al. ). However, the specific mechanisms underlying this influence remain unclear. According to social cognitive theory, individuals learn and adopt new behaviours by observing role models, and this observational learning can operate through self‐efficacy (Bandura ). Self‐efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to mobilize cognitive resources and skills to accomplish tasks effectively (Hughes et al. ). Empirical evidence has demonstrated that leadership styles characterized by relational support can directly enhance nurses' self‐efficacy (Grande ). As a typical example of such relationally focused leadership, caring leadership emphasizes employee care, support, and motivation. By modelling caring behaviours in their daily interactions with nurses, caring leaders serve as role models who may, in turn, strengthen nurses' self‐efficacy. Furthermore, higher levels of self‐efficacy are positively correlated with stronger caring behaviours among nurses (Bakhtiari‐Dovvombaygi et al. ; Berdida and Alhudaib ). These findings suggest that caring leadership may enhance nurse caring behaviours indirectly by strengthening their general self‐efficacy.