EVALUATION OF AGGRESSION MANAGEMENT TRAINING FOR NURSING STUDENTS: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Aggression is a significant problem for nursing students in clinical settings. Purpose: To determine the effects of the education given to nursing students on the management of aggressive individuals. Method: This quasi-experimental study was carried out using a nonrandomized, controlled pretest/posttest design with a 3-month follow-up. The study sample comprised 180 students who volunteered to participate in the study. The experimental group participated in an aggression management training program. The Perception of Aggression Scale (PAS) and knowledge of aggression management tests was applied before and after the intervention (immediately and at 3 months). Results: Most of the participants in the experimental group (65.2%) and the control group (54.1%) were aged 19-21 years and most were female. Nearly all of the participants in the experimental group (96.6%) and most of the control group (83.6%) reported having cared for aggressive patients; 49.4% of the participants in the experimental group and 39.3% of those in the control group stated that they had difficulty caring for aggressive patients due to lack of relevant information. The mean posttest PAS functional subscale score was significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group (p < .05). The training significantly improved aggression management knowledge test scores in the experimental group (p < .05). Conclusion: Aggression management training had a positive effect on nursing students’ perceptions of aggression and increased their knowledge about the management of aggressive individuals.

Keywords

• nurse practitioners
• student
• agression management

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