Determinants of attitudes towards refugees and intercultural sensitivity of nursing students: A descriptive and correlational study.

Background: The number of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants is increasing worldwide. It is crucial to determine attitudes and intercultural sensitivities of nursing students towards refugees and individuals from different cultures. These nursing students will be providing healthcare in the future to these diverse communities.

Objectives: To determine the attitudes towards refugees and intercultural sensitivity of nursing students and to identify the determinants of these parameters.

Design: The study was conducted with a descriptive and correlational design.

Settings: Nursing departments of two universities in Ankara, Turkey.

Participants: The population of the study consisted of nursing students at two universities (N = 1530). A total of 905 students were included in the study.

Methods: Data were obtained by a personal information form, the Attitudes Towards Refugees Scale, and the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale. Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data obtained from the scales.

Results: The participants' mean Attitudes Towards Refugees Scale score was 82.49 ± 16.66 and the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale score was 91.31 ± 11.15. Caring for refugees, intercultural sensitivity, interaction engagement, and respect for cultural differences were associated with attitudes towards refugees. Academic level, income, place of residence, and attitude towards refugees were associated with intercultural sensitivity.

Conclusions: Most of the nursing students displayed a negative attitude towards refugees, although they presented a high level of intercultural sensitivity. Integration of refugee-related topics into the nursing education curriculum and designing education programs are recommended to increase awareness and positive attitudes, and to improve cultural competence of nursing students.