Psychological Safety in Simulation and Psychological Intrinsic Factors Among Korean Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: There is a gap in the literature exploring individual students' psychological intrinsic factors and how these factors influence psychological safety in simulation among nursing students with diverse cultural backgrounds. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between psychological safety in simulation and students’ individual psychological intrinsic factors, including self-compassion, anxiety sensitivity, and resilience. Methods: This study was the first part of a multicultural comparison study on satisfaction and psychological safety in simulation, and a comparison of intrinsic characteristics between nursing students in South Korea and the United States, using a descriptive, exploratory, and correlational design. An online survey was used to measure the study variables for 186 Korean students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and linear mixed models to examine factors associated with psychological safety. Results: All the psychological intrinsic factors (self-compassion, anxiety sensitivity, and resilience) were significantly associated with psychological safety, after controlling the demographic characteristics. Higher psychological safety was associated with higher self-compassion (p = .014), lower anxiety sensitivity (p < .001), and higher resilience (p = .018). Conclusion: Psychological safety in simulation is influenced by students’ psychological intrinsic factors. Efforts to recognize anxiety sensitivity, students’ self-compassion and resilience would be essential to provide a psychologically safe educational environment for nursing.