Assertiveness and the Factors Affecting it Among Nursing Students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Taraneh Taghavi Larijani, Mohammad Aghajani, Negin Zamani, Fataneh Ghadirian

Assertiveness is viewed as a skill and capacity in interpersonal communications. Assertive individuals are able to express and respond to their positive and negative feelings without anxiety and unnecessary anger. Assertiveness is necessary for effective nurse/patient communication, and it is suggested that its development may also aid the confidence of the profession as it develops. Little information is available about assertiveness among students. This study was carried out to assess the assertiveness and the factors affecting it among nursing students. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. 68 males and 105 females (173 participants) nursing students was selected respectively by census and quota sampling in 2007. The data was collected by personal-social questionnaire and Assertion Inventory (AI) of Gambrill and Richy. The data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential (Spearman test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test, stepwise multiple regression test) statistical tests. The results showed that 71.1% of the students had different degrees of deficit in assertiveness. The meaningful relation was found between assertiveness and year of education (p<0.04), participation in the process of decision making in family (p<0.01), and working beside education (p<0.05). Also there was a meaningful and reverse relation between assertiveness and age (p<0.04). From different variables, age and participation in the process of decision making in family, had the most effect on the level of assertiveness. Since a good majority of students had deficit in assertiveness, performance of some educational plans about assertiveness is required during the nursing educational period. Further studies must be done in order to find the best and accurate method for training social skills and assertiveness.