Therapeutic communication skills level among students undertaking the pediatric nursing course and the associated influencing factors

Abstract

AimThe present study to determine the level of therapeutic communication skills among the students undertaking the pediatric nursing course and explore the associated influencing factors. MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 140 nursing students who took the pediatric nursing course. Data were collected using a Nursing Student Information Form and the Therapeutic Communication Skills Scale for Nursing Students. The mean and percentage calculations, t-test, ANOVA test, and regression analysis were conducted to analyze the correlations between the participants' descriptive characteristics and their mean scores on the scales. ResultsThe participants' mean scores obtained on the total Therapeutic Communication Skills Scale for Nursing Students and all of its subdimensions were observed to have a statistically significant correlation with variables such as gender, grade point average, willingness to select the nursing department, satisfaction with the nursing department, difficulty in establishing communication, perceived ability to establish social relations, difficulty in communicating with a child, perception of childhood life, experience with child care, fondness for children, interest in playing therapeutic games with children, and perceived ability to communicate with children. In Model 1, certain descriptive characteristics (satisfaction with the nursing department, difficulty in communicating with a child, experience with child care, interest in playing therapeutic games with children, and perceived ability to communicate with children) explained 52.4% of the therapeutic communication skills scores of the pediatric nursing students and were statistically significantly. ConclusionsIn this study, it was determined that some of the descriptive characteristics of the students who took the pediatric nursing course had a significant effect on their therapeutic communication skills. Implications for practiceIn order to develop the therapeutic communication skills of students undertaking a pediatric nursing course, it is necessary to support these students with a standard curriculum that includes student-centered, innovative, and interactive educational methods, such as role play, case analysis, and video-based learning. It is also recommended to conduct comparative studies on different educational approaches for nursing students undertaking pediatric nursing courses or meta-analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of such approaches.