Comfort Zone Orientation and Attitudes Toward Brain Drain Among Nursing Students: The Mediating Role of Academic Achievement
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nursing students’ comfort zone orientation and their attitudes toward brain drain and to determine whether academic achievement plays a mediating role in this relationship. The research was conducted using a cross-sectional descriptive design with 275 nursing students who were reached through an online survey via snowball sampling between December 25, 2024, and March 15, 2025. Data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the Attitude Scale Towards Brain Drain in Nursing Students and the Comfort Zone Orientation Scale. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, hierarchical multiple regression, and bootstrap mediation analysis with 5000 resamples (p<0.05). The mean brain drain attitude score was 48.25±14.23 and the mean comfort zone orientation score was 29.75±8.52. A significant positive relationship was identified between brain drain attitude and comfort zone orientation (r=0.587; p<0.001). Hierarchical regression results showed that comfort zone orientation remained a significant predictor of brain drain attitude after controlling for demographic variables and grade point average (β=0.287; p<0.001), and the final model explained 39.1% of the variance. Mediation analysis indicated a partial mediating role of grade point average, with an indirect effect of 0.175 explaining 29.8% of the total effect (bootstrap 95% CI: 0.113–0.237). Overall, nursing students’ attitudes toward brain drain were associated not only with external conditions but also with comfort zone orientation and academic achievement. These findings indicate that strengthening career adaptation and psychological resilience within nursing education and providing individualized academic support mechanisms may help develop strategies aimed at reducing brain drain tendencies.
Keywords
Brain Drain , Nursing Students , Comfort Zone Orientation , Academic Achievement , Mediation Analysis
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