Abstract: Objective: To explore the impact of leadership behaviors of head nurses on professional quality of life among nurses. Methods: Using a convenient sampling method, totally 510 nurses in 6 hosptials in Xi'an were recruited and investigated using demographic questionnaire, Head Nurses' Leadership Behaviours Scale and Chinese version of Professional Quality of Life Scale for Nurses. Results: The mean scores of leadership behaviors and three dimensions, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress of clinical nurses were 77.00±12.84, 33.82±6.70, 26.67±5.93 and 25.48±5.73, respectively. Times of night shift per month, department and leadership style of head nurses were identified as the predictors of compassion satisfaction, explaining 15.7% of the variance. Age, the level of hospital, department and leadership style were the influencing factors of burnout, accounting for 15.7% of variance. Department and leadership style were the influencing factors of secondary traumatic stress, explaining 7.0% of the variance. Conclusion: The different leadership types have significant impact on the nurses' professional quality of life. We should enhance compassion satisfaction and decrease burnout and secondary traumatic stress by improving leadership behaviors of head nurses.