The effect of perceived social support on the professional socialization of final-year nursing students: A cross-sectional correlational study

Background & Objective: Professional socialization can improve nursing students' performance and learning.In their final year, nursing students will likely attain professional socialization through adequate social support.Thus, the purpose of this study was to look at how final-year nursing students' professional socialization was impacted by their perceptions of social support. Material & Methods:In 2022, this cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in Hamadan, Iran, at the Hamadan School of Nursing and Midwifery.The study involved 128 final-year nursing students in total.Toit's professional socialization questionnaire, Zimet's perceived social support questionnaire, and demographic information forms were the data gathering instruments used in this study. Results:A relationship was discovered (r = 0.237, p < 0.001) between the professional socialization of nursing final-year students and their social support.The family dimension was identified as the most influential predictor of professional socialization among final-year nursing students within the social support variable (p < 0.001, = 0.447).Furthermore, various factors had significant negative predictive effects on the socialization of final-year nursing students.The study found that several factors were associated with certain career choices.Choosing a mandatory field and family pressure (p < 0.001, = -0.278),picking a field based mainly on earnings (p = 0.017, = -0.209), the mother's occupation as a homemaker (p = 0.009, = -0.220),and the father's work in the private sector (p = 0.037, = -0.175)were among these factors. Conclusion:These findings highlight the critical role that family-related factors play in influencing how nursing students socialize professionally, which is important information for nursing education and support programs.