Social Anxiety and Clinical Practice Experiences among Nursing Students: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study
Reyhan EskiyurtAbstract
Objectives:
The clinical environment is becoming increasingly complex, unpredictable, and variable. This situation requires higher problem-solving abilities, better communication skills, and better interpersonal relationships. In this study, I intended to do a quantitative and qualitative study to assess the level of social anxiety and to understand clinical practice experiences among nursing students.
Methods:
Totally, 501 nursing student were included in the quantitative part. Out of 501, 13 nursing students were included in the qualitative study. In a quantitative study, I collected data with a sociodemographic characteristics form and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). In the qualitative study, I further collected data with 12 semi-structured open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science software version 21. The data in the qualitative phases were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
The students’ mean LSAS, anxiety, and avoidance total scores were 44.58 ± 27.27, 23.59 ± 14.03, and 20.99 ± 13.81, respectively. The quantitative part of the study revealed that 37.9% of the nursing students experienced social anxiety, and the most anxiety-generating situations were being the center of attention. The thematic analysis of the open-ended questions showed that nursing students’ responses could be categorized into six themes: situation, anxious feelings, negative thoughts, bodily anxiety symptoms, avoidant safety behaviors, and cost.
Conclusion:
The results of this study demonstrated how the nursing student sample exhibited a range of social anxiety symptoms. Social anxiety affects not only social relations but also professional practices.