Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety
Abstract Background Health professionals, including nurses, experienced heavy workloads and significant physical and mental health challenges during the coronavirus disease (COVID) 19 pandemic, which may affect career choices for those considering nursing and for nursing students. The COVID-19 pande...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03968-6 |
| _version_ | 1797864464361455616 |
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| author | Zhi-Hui Zhao Jin-Yi Guo Jie Zhou Jia Qiao Shu-Wen Yue Yan-Qiong Ouyang Sharon R. Redding Rong Wang Zhong-Xiang Cai |
| author_facet | Zhi-Hui Zhao Jin-Yi Guo Jie Zhou Jia Qiao Shu-Wen Yue Yan-Qiong Ouyang Sharon R. Redding Rong Wang Zhong-Xiang Cai |
| author_sort | Zhi-Hui Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Health professionals, including nurses, experienced heavy workloads and significant physical and mental health challenges during the coronavirus disease (COVID) 19 pandemic, which may affect career choices for those considering nursing and for nursing students. The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a period of risk, but also an occasion to redeploy the professional identity (PI) of nursing students. However, the relationship between perceived social support (PSS), self-efficacy (SE), PI and anxiety remains unclear under the background of COVID-19. This study aims to explore whether PSS has an indirect effect on PI through mediation of SE and whether the anxiety can moderate the relationship between PSS and SE in nursing students during their internship period. Methods An observational, national cross-sectional study was conducted following the STROBE guidelines. An online questionnaire was completed by 2,457 nursing students from 24 provinces in China during their internship during September to October 2021. Measures included Chinese translations of the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing Students, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety disorder scale. Results Both PSS (r = 0.46, p < 0.001) and SE (r = 0.51, p < 0.001) were positively correlated with PI. The indirect effect of PSS on PI through SE was positive (β = 0.348, p < 0.001), with an effect of 72.7%. The results of the moderating effect analysis showed that anxiety attenuated the effect of PSS on SE. Moderation models indicated that anxiety has a weak negative moderating effect on the effect of PSS on SE (β =—0.0308, p < 0.05). Conclusions A better PSS and higher scores in SE were associated with PI in nursing students, and a better PSS had an indirect effect on the PI of nursing students through SE. Anxiety played a negative moderating role in the relationship between PSS and SE. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:52:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fcd27d78cd2d414cb3ffb5f37e5082b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:52:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-fcd27d78cd2d414cb3ffb5f37e5082b32023-03-22T11:37:12ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202023-02-0123111110.1186/s12909-022-03968-6Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxietyZhi-Hui Zhao0Jin-Yi Guo1Jie Zhou2Jia Qiao3Shu-Wen Yue4Yan-Qiong Ouyang5Sharon R. Redding6Rong Wang7Zhong-Xiang Cai8School of Nursing, Wuhan UniversitySchool of Nursing, Wuhan UniversitySchool of Nursing, Wuhan UniversitySchool of Nursing, Wuhan UniversitySchool of Nursing, Wuhan UniversitySchool of Nursing, Wuhan UniversityGlobal Health of Project HOPERenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityAbstract Background Health professionals, including nurses, experienced heavy workloads and significant physical and mental health challenges during the coronavirus disease (COVID) 19 pandemic, which may affect career choices for those considering nursing and for nursing students. The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a period of risk, but also an occasion to redeploy the professional identity (PI) of nursing students. However, the relationship between perceived social support (PSS), self-efficacy (SE), PI and anxiety remains unclear under the background of COVID-19. This study aims to explore whether PSS has an indirect effect on PI through mediation of SE and whether the anxiety can moderate the relationship between PSS and SE in nursing students during their internship period. Methods An observational, national cross-sectional study was conducted following the STROBE guidelines. An online questionnaire was completed by 2,457 nursing students from 24 provinces in China during their internship during September to October 2021. Measures included Chinese translations of the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing Students, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety disorder scale. Results Both PSS (r = 0.46, p < 0.001) and SE (r = 0.51, p < 0.001) were positively correlated with PI. The indirect effect of PSS on PI through SE was positive (β = 0.348, p < 0.001), with an effect of 72.7%. The results of the moderating effect analysis showed that anxiety attenuated the effect of PSS on SE. Moderation models indicated that anxiety has a weak negative moderating effect on the effect of PSS on SE (β =—0.0308, p < 0.05). Conclusions A better PSS and higher scores in SE were associated with PI in nursing students, and a better PSS had an indirect effect on the PI of nursing students through SE. Anxiety played a negative moderating role in the relationship between PSS and SE.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03968-6Self-efficacySocial supportMediationNursing studentsProfessional identity |
| spellingShingle | Zhi-Hui Zhao Jin-Yi Guo Jie Zhou Jia Qiao Shu-Wen Yue Yan-Qiong Ouyang Sharon R. Redding Rong Wang Zhong-Xiang Cai Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety BMC Medical Education Self-efficacy Social support Mediation Nursing students Professional identity |
| title | Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety |
| title_full | Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety |
| title_fullStr | Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety |
| title_short | Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: the mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety |
| title_sort | perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the covid 19 pandemic era the mediating effects of self efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety |
| topic | Self-efficacy Social support Mediation Nursing students Professional identity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03968-6 |
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