Background Self‐esteem can be described as negative or positive beliefs people have about themselves. It is an important personal source to combat stress and protect health, and related to job satisfaction. Aims and objectives The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between self‐esteem and psychological distress in critical care nurses. Design A cross‐sectional study. Methods The research population of study consisted of 121 critical care nurses working at a university hospital in Edirne, Turkey between January and April 2017. A questionnaire consisting of 26 questions was used to obtain the personal and demographic information. The Symptom Check List‐90‐R test was used to determine the emotional status and the self‐esteem scale was used to determine the self‐esteem status of the participants. Participants were divided into two groups according to the self‐esteem scale median score (Group 1: below 60, and Group 2: 60 and above). Results The general severity index of the nurses was 1.11 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00‐1.21). The general severity index of those with a self‐esteem scale score below 60 was 1.47 (95% CI 1.37‐1.57), while for those who with a self‐esteem score of 60 and above, it was 0.73 (95% CI 0.59‐0.87). The general severity index of the nurses in Group 1 was statistically significantly higher than that for those in Group 2. The number of nurses with a high symptom level in Group 1 was statistically significantly higher than those in Group 2. Conclusions The study showed that the general severity index and poor symptom level ratios associated with mental well‐being are high in critical care nurses. However, critical care nurses with high self‐esteem had fewer psychological problems than those with lower self‐esteem. Relevance to clinical practice Critical care nurses with low self‐esteem should be given assertiveness, resilience, and interpersonal communication skills training, even outside of health care.