Relationship between nursing students' personality traits and competence in workplace violence management

Abstract

Background: Violence against nursing students is a growing concern in nursing education, clinical practice, and professional development and needs to be managed. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nursing students' personality traits and competence in workplace violence management. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was conducted with 321 nursing students between 23 May 2022 and 14 June 2022. Results: A total of 20.9 % of the nursing students were exposed to violence in clinical practice areas. The personality traits of nursing students and their competence in workplace violence management showed a strong correlation. Increase in personality traits such as extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness resulted in an increase in competency in workplace violence management (p < 0.05). However, a negative correlation was observed between neuroticism and competency in workplace violence management (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Collaboration between academic institutions and healthcare organizations should be established to increase nursing students' competency in workplace violence management. The personality traits of the students should be evaluated by nurse educators, and education and counseling should be offered on managing violence, especially for students with high neuroticism levels.