Background
Career adaptability refers to possessing the attitudes, competencies, and behaviors that enable individuals to adapt optimally to their work environment [1, 2]. In other words, career adaptability is the readiness to cope with unpredictable tasks, embrace ambiguous work roles, and adjust to uncertain situations. It empowers individuals to make decisions regarding their career paths and overcome challenges they encounter in performing their job duties [3, 4]. In recent years, factors influencing career adaptability have been investigated in several business sectors [1, 5, 6]. However, this issue is crucial for students in the medical sciences field. Because the healthcare system and the care needs of communities are constantly evolving due to changing health requirements. Consequently, students in medical science fields, particularly in nursing and midwifery, are expected to be prepared to acquire new skills and adopt novel work styles to respond effectively to these changes [7]. Career adaptability is a coping skill that can be learned and developed through experience. Individuals with high adaptability skills are expected to make more realistic and well-planned decisions than their peers [5].
According to researchers, adaptability encompasses four dimensions: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Career concern refers to the necessity of future direction. Career path concern helps individuals remember the past, pay attention to the present, and predict the future [1, 2]. Career control implies that individuals take responsibility for shaping their career paths [8]. Career curiosity indicates a strong interest in learning about oneself and the world of work, striving for harmony between the two. The dimension of curiosity leads to a focus on awareness in decision-making and fitting oneself into the environment, encouraging individuals to seek new experiences [9, 10]. Lastly, career confidence stems from solving the problems that individuals encounter in their daily activities, such as household chores, school assignments, and hobbies [1, 7]. Additionally, recognizing one’s usefulness in these tasks enhances self-acceptance and self-worth, and extensive exploratory experiences reinforce the confidence to persevere [6]. It is argued that a sense of belonging also influences learning and is a prerequisite for student learning. One of the important questions for researchers is what factors influence career adaptability [1, 11]. Studies in this field have indicated the impact of factors such as self-efficacy and entrepreneurship on career adaptability [8]. Personality traits are among the factors that contribute to increased organizational performance, as harmony between personality type and work environment fosters better job adjustment [12]. It has been reported that personality traits are associated with entrepreneurial intentions and success and may influence career adaptability [13, 14]. Researchers found that personal characteristics such as conscientiousness and risk-taking, along with socio-economic traits like age and gender, significantly influence the ability to work in a particular job [15, 16]. For example, reports suggest that individuals with neurotic and perfectionist personalities may struggle to adapt to their jobs [14]. Moreover, attitude is one of the fundamental structures of the career adaptability concept [17]. Attitude toward behavior is defined as an individual’s evaluation of their behavior and the degree to which they prefer to engage in specific behaviors [18]). Therefore, career adaptability can be considered a type of attitude toward behavior. On the other hand, deficiencies in professional behavior among nurses can lead to burnout and increased intentions to leave the profession [11]. Hence, the healthcare system needs nurses who embrace their profession and cultivate professional behavior and attributes for the well-being of society. Professional behavior is expected to develop and evolve throughout students’ academic years and their subsequent years of service [16]. Determining the career adaptability of nursing students and the factors influencing it during their transition to the profession can be beneficial. Therefore, this study was designed based on the assumption that there might be a relationship between personality traits and professional behavior regarding career adaptability among nursing and midwifery students.
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Material and method
This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted during the second half of the year 2023. The statistical population included all nursing and midwifery students studying at the Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Medical Sciences Branch. The inclusion criteria for the study were: second-, third-, and fourth-year nursing and midwifery students who had clinical experience, and the exclusion criteria were: incomplete questionnaires with more than 10% of the questions unanswered and unwillingness to participate in the study.
Sample size and sampling
Considering and calculating the sample size for each objective, based on the results of the study by Ispir et al. [11] in Turkey and considering a 95% confidence interval, 90% statistical power, and an acceptable error of 5% around the mean extraversion score (m = 4.62, SD = 1.55), using the sample size formula, 173 individuals were determined, and considering a 20% increase in the study accuracy, the final sample size was calculated to be 210 individuals.
$$\:n=\frac{{({Z}_{1}-\frac{\alpha\:}{2})}^{2}\:\times\:{s}^{2}}{{d}^{2}}\:$$
Sampling in this study was convenience sampling, such that after obtaining permission to conduct the research from the university and coordinating with the heads of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, sampling began based on the study’s inclusion criteria. After attending the students’ classes and considering the study’s inclusion criteria, the researcher provided necessary explanations about the purpose and method of the study and obtained informed consent forms for participation in the research. The participants were then asked to complete the questionnaires used in the study through self-reporting.
Data collection tools
1- Demographic characteristics checklist
including age, gender, field of study, academic term, being local or non-local, and two questions regarding whether you have voluntarily chosen the nursing and midwifery profession and whether you intend to change your field of study, which are completed with yes/no answers.
2- Personality traits
They were measured based on the Big Five model, using the Ten Item Personality Measure [19]. This method comprises 10 items (adjectives) referring to specific individual characteristics, e.g., extraverted, enthusiastic. Respondents had to evaluate each item using a 7-point scale ranging from 1 = Disagree strongly, to 7 = Agree strongly. Each of the five personality dimensions (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Experience) was measured by two items. Scores for each dimension were averaged based on the answer.
3- Nursing students’ professional behavior questionnaire (NSPBQ)
Designed by Goze, this scale has 27 items with a five-point Likert scale (never to always), and each question has a value between “1 to 5” (1-never, 2-most of the time, 3-no opinion, 4-sometimes, 5-always). The minimum possible score is 27, and the maximum is 135. (A score between “27 to 45” indicates a low level of professional behavior among students, a score between “46 to 90” indicates a moderate level, and a score above 90 indicates a high level of professional behavior among students). The validity and reliability of this questionnaire have been assessed and confirmed by Heshmati Nabavi et al. The reliability of the questionnaire was obtained using Cronbach’s alpha method, which was above 0.70 [20].
4- Career adapt-abilities scale (CAAS)
This scale, developed in 2012 with the collaboration of 13 countries under the supervision of Mark Savickas [1], has 24 questions and measures four dimensions of career adaptability: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence Each subscale has 6 questions, and respondents use a 5-point Likert scale (strongly agree = 5 to strongly disagree = 1). The average Cronbach’s alpha coefficient among the 13 countries was reported as 0.83 for the concern scale, 0.74 for control, 0.79 for curiosity, and 0.85 for reliability. This coefficient was 0.92 for the entire scale, ranging from 0.87 to 0.96 among the 13 countries mentioned [1, 21].
Data analysis
Descriptive and inferential statistics are used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the mean, and standard deviation, and to organize absolute and relative frequency tables. Inferential statistics such as ANOVA, t-test, correlation determination, and linear regression are used to examine the relationship between factors related to career adaptability. SPSS software version 24 is used for statistical analysis. The data were considered normal because skewness and kurtosis were 1 to − 1. All P-values are two-sided and less than or equal to 0.05 were statistically significant.
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Result
The sociodemographic characteristics of participants and their association with CAAS
The data related to demographic and background variables are presented in Table 1. The statistical population consisted of 210 nursing and midwifery students (100% response rate) with a mean (standard deviation) age of 21.81 (1.41) years. About 62% of the participants were female and 64% were nursing students. Also, the majority of them were local students, close to 62% had voluntarily chosen their field of study, and only 25.7% intended to change their field of study. Among the background variables, there was a statistically significant difference between gender and the method of choosing the field of study with career adaptation, so the mean score of career adaptation was higher in females than males (99.37 vs. 93.74) and voluntary selection compared to the involuntary selection of the field of study (100.55 vs. 91.83). In addition, data analysis showed that nursing students included 79 females and 55 males, and the mean career adaptation was (15.94) 97.94 in females and (15.84) 94.95 in males, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.277).
Table 1
Baseline characteristics of the participants and relationship with Career adaptability (N = 210)
Variable | Frequency (Percent) | Career Adaptability | |
|---|---|---|---|
M (SD) | P-value | ||
Gender | a 0.011 | ||
Male | 80 (38.1) | 93.74 (16.07) | |
Female | 130 (61.9) | 99.37 (14.95) | |
Age (years) M(SD) 21.81 (1.41) | |||
≤ 20 | 36 (17.1) | 101.72 (14.78) | b 0.096 |
20–24 | 166 (79.0) | 96.56 (15.79) | |
≥ 25 | 8 (3.8) | 90.75 (11.37) | |
Field of Study | a 0.331 | ||
Nurse | 134 (63.8) | 96.49 (15.77) | |
Midwifery | 76 (36.2) | 98.72 (15.23) | |
Residency status | a 0.055 | ||
Native | 152 (72.4) | 98.50 (15.40) | |
Non-native | 58 (27.6) | 93.88 (15.73) | |
How to choose a field | a <0.001 | ||
Voluntary | 130 (61.9) | 100.55 (14.31) | |
Non-voluntarily | 80 (38.1) | 91.83 (16.174) | |
Willingness to change Field of Study | a 0.716 | ||
Yes | 54 (25.7) | 99.56 (16.65) | |
No | 156 (74.3) | 97.46 (15.26) | |
Mean and coloration values of CAAS, NSPBS, and TIPI dimensions
Information regarding the mean and correlation test between the main study variables is observable in Table 2. The mean (standard deviation) total CAAS score was 97.22 (15.59), with the highest and lowest scores of the curiosity and concern domains, respectively. The mean total professional behavior score was 114.88. According to the findings, 12 (5.7%) and 198 (94.3%) individuals had moderate and high professional behaviors, respectively, and no one scored low. Regarding personality traits, the highest and lowest scores were related to agreeableness and extraversion, respectively. The correlation test showed a statistically significant and direct relationship between professional behaviors and career adaptability (r = 0.421, P < 0.001, Moderate). Moreover, except for Emotional Stability, there was a significant, direct, and weak relationship between personality traits and career adaptability.
Table 2
Descriptive and correlations between the main variables of the study
Variable | Mean (SD) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1- Total CAAS score | 97.22(15.59) | 1 | 0.421** | 0.191** | 0.239** | 0.150* | 0.101 | 0.257** |
career concern | 22.24 (6.26) | |||||||
career control | 23.73(5.18) | |||||||
career curiosity | 25.73(4.32) | |||||||
career confidence | 25.26 (4.12) | |||||||
2-Total NSPBS | 114.88(14.14) | 1 | 0.027 | 0.230** | 0.312** | -0.022 | 0.366** | |
3- TIPI: Extraversion | 7.54 (2.30) | 1 | 0.269** | 0.258** | 0.219** | 0.164* | ||
4- TIPI: Agreeableness | 8.95 (3.03) | 1 | 0.184** | 0.165* | 0.283** | |||
5- TIPI: Conscientiousness | 8.05 (2.13) | 1 | 0.331** | 0.240** | ||||
6-TIPI: Emotional Stability | 8.24 (2.12) | 1 | 0.096 | |||||
7- TIPI: Openness | 8.36 (2.52) | 1 |
Linear regression on factors affecting the CAAS
Table 3 presents information regarding univariate and multivariate regression analyses in three models. According to Model 1 and univariate regression analysis, all main variables including NSPBS, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness were examined individually. The results showed a statistically significant relationship between these variables and CAAS. Each of these variables alone could predict 17.3%, 3.2%, 5.2%, 1.8%, and 6.1% of the variations in CAAS, respectively. Based on the regression coefficient (β), with an increase of one standard deviation in the mentioned variables, career congruence increased by 0.421, 0.191, 0.293, 0.150, and 0.257 standard deviations, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis in Model 2 indicated that after entering 5 independent variables, the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adj = 0.207) showed that 20.7% of the variations in the CAAS variable depended on the 5 variables entered into the model. Regression results showed that among the variables, only two variables of professional behavior and extraversion personality had a significant relationship, and professional behavior (β = 0.381, P < 0.001) had the highest impact on career congruence. Finally, in Model 3, with the entry of all variables including main variables and background variables using the inter method in the regression model, the results showed that 22.1% of the variations in career congruence could be explained by the variables entered into the presented model (R2adj = 0.221, P < 0.001). Two variables of professional behavior and the method of choosing the field of study (voluntary and non-voluntary) had a significant relationship and had the highest impact on the career congruence variable with regression coefficients of (β = 0.373, P < 0.001) and (β=-0.167, P = 0.017), respectively.
Table 3
Effect of NSPBS, traits, and demographic characteristics on CAAS based on univariate and multivariate linear regression
Predictors | Model summary | B | S.E | β | 95%CI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | R2 | R2adj | P-Value | F | |||||
Model 1 | |||||||||
Total NSPBS | 0.421 | 0.177 | 0.173 | < 0.001 | 44.819 | 0.464 | 0.069 | 0.421 | 0.328 to 0.601 |
TIPI: Extraversion | 0.191 | 0.037 | 0.032 | 0.005 | 7.884 | 1.291 | 0.460 | 0.191 | 0.385 t0 2.198 |
TIPI: Agreeableness | 0.239 | 0.057 | 0.052 | < 0.001 | 230.565 | 1.229 | 0.346 | 0.239 | 0.546 to 1.912 |
TIPI: Conscientiousness | 0.150 | 0.023 | 0.018 | 0.030 | 4.792 | 1.095 | 0.500 | 0.150 | 0.109 to 2.082 |
TIPI: Openness | 0.257 | 0.066 | 0.061 | < 0.001 | 14.677 | 1.586 | 0.414 | 0.257 | 0.770 to 2.403 |
Model 2 | 0.475 | 0.226 | 0.207 | < 0.001 | 11.889 | ||||
Total NSPBS | < 0.001 | 0.420 | 0.076 | 0.381 | 0.269 to 0.571 | ||||
TIPI: Extraversion | 0.021 | 1.040 | 0.447 | 0.154 | 0.158 to 1.922 | ||||
TIPI: Agreeableness | 0.150 | 0.498 | 0.344 | 0.097 | -0.181 to 1.177 | ||||
TIPI: Conscientiousness | 0.511 | -0.325 | 0.494 | -0.045 | -1.298 to 0.648 | ||||
TIPI: Openness | 0.273 | 0.466 | 0.424 | 0.075 | -0.370 to 1.302 | ||||
Model 3 | 0.497 | 0.247 | 0.221 | < 0.001 | 9.487 | ||||
Total NSPBS | < 0.001 | 0.412 | 0.077 | 0.373 | 0.260 to 0.564 | ||||
TIPI: Extraversion | 0.114 | 0.733 | 0.461 | 0.108 | -0.177 to 1.643 | ||||
TIPI: Agreeableness | 0.368 | 0.320 | 0.355 | 0.062 | -0.380 to1.020 | ||||
TIPI: Conscientiousness | 0.384 | -0.428 | 0.491 | -0.059 | -1.396 to 0.540 | ||||
TIPI: Openness | 0.241 | 0.495 | 0.421 | 0.080 | -0.336 to 1.326 | ||||
Gender | 0.837 | -0.442 | 2.140 | -0.014 | -4.662 to 3.779 | ||||
How to choose a field | 0.017 | -5.336 | 2.216 | -0.167 | -9.707 to -0.966 | ||||
Discussion
In the present study, some factors influencing career adaptability were identified, and a direct relationship was found between personality traits and professional behaviors of students with career adaptability.
Initial reviews revealed that, regarding personality trait dimensions, the highest mean score was related to Agreeableness, while the lowest score was related to Extraversion. Agreeableness encompasses traits such as trust, kindness, affection, and other social behaviors, while Extraversion is characterized by excitability, sociability, assertiveness, and high levels of emotional expression.
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A literature review revealed that various studies have utilized different measurement instruments, such as the NEO-Five Factor and TIPI, to determine the student’s personality traits. Ispir et al., in Turkey [11], using the TIPI five-trait tool, examined the personality traits of nursing students and reported that the highest and lowest scores among their study participants were in the curiosity and emotional stability dimensions, respectively. Additionally, Baldacchino and Galea [22], using the NEO instrument to assess the personality traits of nursing and midwifery students, found that the highest scores were in conscientiousness and agreeableness, while the lowest scores were in emotional stability. However, Fornés-Vives et al., (2016) [23] investigated the personality traits of nursing students at different times, including the first and last years of their studies. In their study, the highest score in the first year was related to agreeableness, while in the final year, it was related to extraversion. Nonetheless, the lowest score in both periods was associated with emotional stability. According to Bar et al. (2018) [24], the highest score was related to agreeableness, and the lowest score was related to extraversion, which is consistent with our study. The inconsistencies in findings across studies might be explained by cultural and social differences, as well as variations in the populations studied (specifically, whether nursing and midwifery students were examined individually or as a combined group). Additionally, as previously mentioned, conducting studies at different times can lead to variations in results.
Professionalization during the student years is shaped by both formal and informal education, which influences the development of professional behaviors. The scores of professional behaviors, the second independent variable in our study, were high among nursing and midwifery students, with the majority attaining high scores. Fortunately, students exhibit desirable behavioral skills in clinical settings. In other words, students have a high understanding of patients’ conditions and can significantly contribute to enhancing the quality of care services by demonstrating professional behaviors [25]. In this regard, Fattahi-Bafghi et al., (2020) [26] reported similar results, and other studies conducted in Iran align with our findings. However, a comparison of professional behavior scores between nursing students and clinical nurses in Iran revealed significant differences between the two groups, suggesting the need for interventions to improve nursing education programs and create conditions conducive to utilizing resources and fostering a deeper familiarity with the profession.
Finally, the dependent variable of the study, career adaptability, revealed that the scores attained by the students indicated their high level of career adaptability. In other studies examining the career adaptability of nursing students, such as the studies by Ispir et al. [11], and Fang and colleagues [27], above-average levels of career adaptability were reported. Several other studies focusing on career adaptability among non-nursing students have reported similar results [15, 28, 29].
When examining the dimensions of career adaptability, the highest mean score was related to the curiosity dimension, followed by confidence, while the lowest mean score was in the concern domain. These findings are consistent with the results of Tian and Fan’s study in China, where nursing students also achieved the highest score in the confidence dimension and the lowest in concern [30]. However, in Ispir and colleagues’ study in Turkey [11], nursing students attained the highest and lowest scores in the confidence and curiosity dimensions, respectively. In multiple studies involving students outside of nursing, the highest scores were recorded in the confidence dimension [3, 31, 32], while the lowest scores were in the concern domain [3, 33]. According to researchers, students’ high level of career adaptability can predict whether they will continue their careers as nurses or not. However, this situation warrants further investigation.
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Analysis of the research hypotheses revealed a positive and significant correlation between career adaptability and all personality trait dimensions except emotional stability. In a study on Turkish nursing students, a positive relationship was observed between all domains of personality traits except for the sub-dimension of agreeableness with career adaptability. However, in other studies, a positive correlation has been found between all traits except for neuroticism and career adaptability, and in some studies, a negative correlation between neuroticism and career adaptability has been reported [3, 31, 33]. This finding aligns with our study, although those studies employed the NEO questionnaire to assess personality traits. In a meta-analysis, the relationship between different dimensions of personality traits and career adaptability has been reported [6]. In addition, researchers found that perfectionism and constant worry are important predictors of career adaptability [34].
The results from the analysis of the study’s second hypothesis revealed a positive, moderate correlation linking student professional behaviors with career adaptability. According to the regression models outlined in this study, professional behaviors may also serve as a predictor for career adaptability. Even though based on our literature review, this topic has not been directly investigated in nursing students, the career construction theory believes that career adaptability is closely related to professional behavior [1]. Gao et al. (2018) have shown that career adaptability is related to active professional behavior (important behavior) [35]. Likewise, Lu has documented comparable outcomes through the examination of career adaptability and professional behaviors among athletes [36]. What was determined in our regression was the impact of professional behavior and the way of voluntary and involuntary selection on career adaptability, and personality traits did not show a statistically significant effect in the final model.
Eventually, to determine the factors affecting the career adaptability of nursing-midwifery students, 3 models were designed. The final model included the primary study variables, along with significant background and demographic characteristics. This model explained 22.1% of the variation in the outcome variable. Unlike the study by Ispir et al., [11] which by entering the main variables of their study including entrepreneurship and personality traits in addition to background variables, the model presented by them had a coefficient of determination of 39.8%. However, in their presented model, personality traits were not statistically significant, and the significant variable in the model was the entrepreneurial tendencies of nursing students, and the way of choosing the field did not show any effect on career adaptability. According to the researchers’ account, career entrepreneurship is related to professional behaviors and contributes to their progression and growth [37]. Nonetheless, a meta-analysis conducted by Rudolph et al. (2017) demonstrated that the five personality traits contribute to career variance [6]. In addition, Van Vianen et al. (2012) found that the five factors of personality traits and self-esteem were able to explain 41% of the variance in career adaptability [3].
Study limitations
One of the limitations of this study is the limited generalizability of the obtained results, which is due to sampling from one nursing and midwifery school. In addition, the cross-sectional nature of the study and the lack of expression of cause-and-effect relationships are other limitations of the study, and the use of available sampling method and data collection by self-report are among the other limitations of the present study. However, the simultaneous examination of three variables that have not been previously investigated can be one of the strengths of the study.
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Conclusion
This study investigated the relationship between personality traits, professional behaviors, and career adaptability among nursing and midwifery students. The relationship between these three variables has not been previously studied in nursing and midwifery students in this investigation, among the student’s personality traits, the highest mean score was observed in the “Agreeableness” domain, while the lowest was in “Extraversion.” The scores for professional behaviors and career adaptability skills were found to be at relatively high levels. A positive and significant relationship was identified between career adaptability, professional behaviors, and personality traits, except emotional stability. In the created regression model, the independent variables entered into the model predicted 22.1% of career adaptability, and professional behaviors had the most important and highest impact on career adaptability. Also, voluntary choice of the field of study was able to affect career adaptability. According to the model, about 80% of the remaining factors affecting career adaptability need to be investigated. In general, to improve career adaptability, it is suggested to help students by raising awareness and counseling before entering university in choosing the appropriate field based on their interests and personality traits. Also, planning and implementing necessary interventions to provide proper education on professional behaviors during the study seems necessary. Also, creating opportunities to improve personality traits can help students’ career adaptability.
Acknowledgements
We thank all nursing and midwifery students who participated in the study. We also appreciate the support from the Islamic Azad University of Tabriz Medical Sciences.
Declarations
Ethics approval and consent to participate
Written informed consent was obtained from each participant before the completion of the survey. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Azad University of Tabriz Medical Sciences, Iran (code number: IR.IAU.TABRIZ.REC.1402.004). All the methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
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