Effect of Self-compassion, Nursing professionalism, and Perception of death on Attitudes to death of nursing students

Objectives This study was conducted to identify the factors influencing nursing students' attitudes to death and to prepare plan for nursing students' death education. Methods In this study, 147 nursing students attending the College of Nursing participated from May to April 2024, and data were collected through an online platform. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical regression analysis using the IBM SPSS 25.0 program. Results As a result of the study, nursing students' attitudes to death 2.43 points, self-compassion was 3.21 points, nursing professionalism were 3.69 points and their perception of death was 3.02 points. There were significant differences in attitudes to death to according age and acquaintance's death experience among the general characteristics of the subject. A significant factor influencing nursing students' attitude to death is isolation (β= -.303, p=.004), self-compassion (β=.264, p=.049), experiencing the death of an acquaintance (β=.179, p=.023), a sense of control (β=.178, p=.023), age (β=-.176, p=.023) followed by explanatory power of 15.9%. Conclusions In order to positively establish the attitudes to death of nursing students, an educational intervention plan for systematic death is needed from the lower grades. The educational intervention plan should include measures to overcome the fear of death experience, improve self-compassion to accept one's pain and failure as universal, and reduce feeling of isolation. Through this, it will be possible to contribute to the establishment of a positive attitudes to death of nursing students.