Communication apprehension and willingness to listen in nursing education

Communication self-efficacy and communication apprehension in a national sample of undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study

AIM

The aim of this study was to explore communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy in undergraduate nursing students and identify factors that contribute to communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND

Communication education and skills training is often incorporated into undergraduate nursing curricula; however, communication competence continues to be a problem for novice nurses. Communication apprehension is a concept that has been only minimally researched in nursing education and can have a negative impact on student communication readiness.

DESIGN

This study employed a cross-sectional design and surveyed a national sample of undergraduate nursing students between October 2022 and March 2023.

METHODS

An online survey was sent out to undergraduate nursing student members of the National Student Nurses Association as well as nursing education programs in 8 states and the District of Columbia. The survey was comprised of demographic questions, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, and the communication subscale of the Nursing Student Self-Efficacy Survey.

RESULTS

Approximately 22.1 % of the students had high communication apprehension, with the highest communication apprehension in public speaking and classroom communication. Communication self-efficacy scores ranged from 12 to 40, with a mean of 31.65 (SD = 6.28). Communication apprehension and communication self-efficacy were significantly negatively correlated. Positive and negative affect were significant predictors of communication apprehension. Affect, as well as current healthcare employment were significant predictors of communication self-efficacy. When controlling for all demographic, educational, and psychological variables, communication apprehension was a significant predictor of communication self-efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is one of the few to explore communication apprehension in undergraduate nursing students. Data demonstrated that communication apprehension is a prevalent problem for many nursing students. Communication apprehension was also found to be a significant predictor of communication self-efficacy after controlling for all other variables. Progression through nursing education did not show a correlation with a decrease in the students' communication apprehension or increase in communication self-efficacy. Given these findings, educational efforts aimed at reducing communication apprehension and enhancing students' school-related affect could contribute to an improvement in communication self-efficacy.

Exploring communication apprehension in nursing and healthcare education: A scoping review

Communication among healthcare professionals is critical to optimizing patient outcomes, and communication education is incorporated into the educational programs of healthcare professions students. Communication can be a source of stress for new healthcare professionals, however, there is a lack of research on communication apprehension (CA) in healthcare students, especially in nursing education. This scoping review sought to explore CA and factors associated with CA among healthcare professions students. This scoping review report was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (Tricco et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018, 169, 467-473). Twenty studies of healthcare professions students were included for analysis. The percentage of health professions students with high CA ranged from 0.7% to 27%. Five out of seven intervention studies demonstrated a significant decrease in CA after the intervention. This review identified inconsistent associations between CA and various individual and educational factors. More research is needed utilizing rigorous research designs, designs employing qualitative methodology, and studies to investigate the impact of language on CA in health professions students who speak English as a second language.

Social support and professional networks of nurses and nursing technicians in coping with Covid-19: A sectional study in two Brazilian cities

Among healthcare workers, nurses are at exceptionally considerable risk for contracting COVID-19. Regardless of professionals' level of education, Brazilian nursing is one of the healthcare occupations shouldering the highest levels of responsibility and workload. Social support networks to health and nursing can be a strategy to reduce workload and stress and may contribute to implementing the activities and protecting workers' health. This study aimed to map and analyze social support networks at workplaces as informed by frontline nursing professionals working in healthcare units in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza, capitals of the States of Rio de Janeiro and Ceará, respectively. This observational and cross-sectional study used an online data collection instrument based on social network analysis methodology. We recruited 163 participants in two reference services for health professionals suspected or with COVID-19 symptoms. The research question was: "Which category or categories of health professionals have supported you or other colleagues the most in the event of diagnosis or suspicion of COVID-19 among nursing categories? Data were organized by nursing category and city and analyzed through social network analysis using Ucinet©, generating graphs and centrality metrics. Results point to the central relevance of nursing categories in the workplace social support in the pandemic, followed by other health professional categories.

The effect of affective learning on alexithymia, empathy, and attitude toward disabled persons in nursing students: A randomized controlled study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effect of affective learning on alexithymia, empathy, and attitude toward disabled persons in nursing students.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This prospective, randomized, controlled trial study was implemented among 70 nursing students. Based on transformative learning theory, the affective learning method was applied to the intervention group. Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Empathic Tendency Scale (ETS), and Attitudes Toward Disabled Person Scale (ATDPS) were administered to both groups.

RESULTS

The intervention group showed a statistically and significantly lower score at TAS and higher score at ATDPS compared to the control group, whereas no statistically significant difference was found in ETS score.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Affective learning methods could be implemented in the nursing course for improving students' attitude toward disabled persons, and reducing alexithymia.

Communication Apprehension Among Health Professions Students in Brazil

Objective. To determine the levels of communication apprehension experienced by health professions students in Brazil.Method. A cross-sectional study of dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, and nursing students at a Brazilian university was conducted from December 2019 to May 2020. The students were invited to complete the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) and provide demographic data. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted.Results. A total of 644 health students answered the survey, and 25.5% were classified as having high communication apprehension. Male participants had significantly lower PRCA-24 scores than female participants. No significant differences were found between PRCA-24 scores by age category or academic year. Medical students had significantly lower mean PRCA-24 scores than pharmacy students.Conclusion. The prevalence of communication apprehension was high among health professions students. Women and pharmacy students had the highest communication apprehension scores. Health educators should consider the effects of communication apprehension on students and use adequate interventions during communication skills training to alleviate this apprehension.

Social media usage and alexithymia in nursing students

PURPOSE

To determine the relationship between social media usage characteristics and alexithymia in nursing students.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study was conducted with 272 nursing students between November and December 2018 in Turkey. Data were collected using an information form to determine the sociodemographic and social media usage characteristics of the students, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale.

FINDINGS

According to the results of this study, nursing students use Instagram the most. As time spent on social media increases, the alexithymia score increases and students have difficulty recognizing their feelings.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

As the use of social media by nursing students affects their mental process and behavior patterns, the results of social media applications, which witness a wide range of feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, should be included in the nursing curriculum.