Interpersonal communication competence among nursing students.

Objective: To identify the level of interpersonal communication competence among nursing students and to correlate its domains with sociodemographic and academic variables.

Method: This is a correlational study, developed through a multicenter research project in six federal universities in Brazil. Data from 1,079 nursing students were collected through a questionnaire with sociodemographic and academic variables and the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The mean of the sum of the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale was 63.74 (± 7.6). The domains "availability" and "environment control" had, respectively, the highest and lowest averages. There was a statistically significant difference between the sum of the Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale and the variables age, marital status, participation in a research/extension group, and paid professional activity.

Conclusion: This study contributed to identify the level of interpersonal communication competence of nursing students in the Brazilian reality, providing useful information for education in the area.