Nursing students perspectives of psychosocial care: cross-sectional study

Psychosocial care is an essential aspect of nursing practice and its significance has been emphasized in various nursing frameworks and guidelines. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has identified psychosocial care as a key component of comprehensive nursing care and is essential for universal health coverage [1]. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has also emphasized the importance of psychosocial care in nursing practice and recommends that nurses provide holistic care that addresses the physical, psychological, and social needs of patients [2]. The definition of psychosocial care focuses on the psychological and emotional health. Covers a wide range of topics, including self-esteem, understanding and coping with illness, communication, and social interaction [3]. Although holistic nursing care requires addressing physical and psychosocial needs for better patient outcomes, there is evidence that nurses often do not approach this aspect of care adequately for many reasons [3‐8].

As nurses progress in their education, they acquire knowledge, abilities, and attitudes related to psychosocial care. Nursing students play a crucial role in providing psychosocial care to patients. However, research has indicated that nursing students may lack the skills and knowledge needed to provide patients with adequate psychosocial treatment [9‐14]. To allow nursing students to provide patients with better care, it is necessary to assess their degree of psychosocial support and pinpoint areas of development [14].

There is a need to understand how many nursing students in the Middle East and particularly in Jordan are prepared to support and provide care based on the psychosocial domain. In Jordan, 9103 nursing students enrolled in seven public and eight private institutions during the year 2021/2022 [15]. Mutah University is recognized as one of the leading schools in Jordan, with 640 students enrolled in regular, parallel, bridging, and international nursing programs. The nursing program at Mutah University features specialized courses, such as mental health nursing, community health nursing, and nursing leadership, with a strong emphasis on addressing the psychosocial dimensions of nursing care. A recent evaluation of the program and a study indicated the need to evaluate the psychosocial competency of nursing students [16].

This article presents the results of a research study conducted at Mutah University, which aimed to investigate the level of psychosocial support available to fourth-year nursing students. The central focus of this study revolved around the following research question: To what extent do fourth-year nursing students at Mutah University receive adequate psychosocial care?

The participants were 105 fourth-year nursing students with a mean age of 23.4 years (SD=1.4). Most of the participants were females (n = 80, 76.2%), while males represent (n = 25, 23.8 %) (see Table 1). The participants represented 76% of the fourth-year students, while 640 students were enrolled in all the years.

The CDI encompasses 12 elements pertaining to psychosocial aspects. This study found that the average scores for this particular aspect were significantly lower than those for the professional and technical aspects. This discrepancy highlights the preferences of nursing students in Jordan for nursing care. The participants appeared to value technical care above psychosocial care. This suggests that their perception of care is molded over the course of their theoretical and practical studies, culminating in the completion of their nursing education. Furthermore, their adoption of professional behaviors is also influenced by their interactions with registered nurses in their field of practice, shaping their professional socialization [26]. Watson and his colleagues [27] also claimed that after finishing nursing education, nursing students tend to lose some of their idealistic views about nursing and caring. Safadi and her colleagues [28] also discussed the theory-practice gap and how student perspectives changed over the course of the educational process. They stressed the importance of updating the Jordanian nursing school curricula and university admission procedures [28].

Fourth-year nursing students are more likely to focus on technical and professional care at the expense of the psychosocial domain [16]. This could be related to a flawed educational system [27]. Students were often asked to do paperwork and assignments focusing on specific course outcomes, such as writing nursing care plans, seminars, and presentations about specific diseases or health conditions. They were also advised to perform specific nursing practices such as measuring vital signs, wound dressing, pre-preparation of medication, intravenous fluid, etc. All of these activities within their daily education and training routine emphasized the professional and technical aspects of care rather than engaging with the client in purposeful communication and spending time with clients for the purpose of the psychosocial aspect of care. This situation is accompanied by an overcrowded training environment owing to the high admission rate and limited hospital beds. Furthermore, the clinical setting in which they trained was a public hospital serving a large population with an extensive demand for services.

Early burnout may be predicted by poor psychosocial CDI item scores of fourth-year nursing students. Burnout has negative effects on academic performance, professional retention, and performance in the workplace [27, 29]. These results were expected with due attention. Previous surveys conducted at the same location revealed that students' satisfaction with the nursing program was indifferent and that one-third of them did not feel a sense of community within the nursing field [16, 30]. In addition, an earlier study conducted in Jordan on the beliefs, attitudes, and perceived practices of newly enrolled students corroborated this [31]. Only 31% of the students who participated in the survey at Jordanian nursing colleges and institutes affiliated with the Ministry of Health expressed a desire to become nurses. However, 69% of people started their nursing careers for other reasons, such as financial constraints from their families or because it was their only option to study [31].

This study reported that nursing students perceive technical care to be more important than psychosocial care. These results indicate that psychosocial care for patients needs to be reoriented at multiple levels. This should include students, nursing schools, their curricula, training settings, clinical instructors, and educators. These nurses need to equip them with the competencies of holistic care for patients and their families, including psychosocial competencies, as a demand for their graduation from nursing programs. This is required at the time of the rapid complexities of healthcare delivery to achieve the essence of the nursing profession as a caring profession.