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Abstract

Purpose: Healthcare professionals who care for children and understand their physical, emotional, and social developmental differences can utilize effective communication strategies and provide the necessary love and attention. This approach benefits not only the clinical outcomes but also the overall development of the child. Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between nursing and dentistry students' levels of liking children and their communication skills.

Methods: Data were collected using personal information form, the Barnett Child Liking Scale, and the Communication Skills Inventory. To determine the relationship between the scales, frequency, percentage, mean, t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were utilized.

Results: The mean age of the students was 22.46±1.81 years. Among the participants, 48.5% were dentistry students, 68.2% were women. The study found that female students had a significantly higher liking for children (p=0.009), but there was no significant difference in communication skills based on gender (p=0.354). Communication skills were significantly higher among dentistry students (p=0.000). A significant positive relationship was observed between students' liking for children and their communication skills.

Conclusion: The study found a significant relationship between nursing and dentistry students' liking for children and their communication skills. To sustain and enhance this relationship, it is recommended to make changes in both the theoretical and practical training. These changes could focus on strengthening communication skills, increasing the duration of internships to allow students more time with children, and incorporating more practice in communicating with children and their parents.

Additional Files
Barnett-Liking-of-Children-Scale.docx (221 kB)
review-.pdf (314 kB)
review.docx (24 kB)
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