Flourishing among undergraduate nursing students: Insights from a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to examine the factors that influence the level of flourishing among nursing students.

Cross-sectional study.

A multistage sampling technique was used to recruit 328 undergraduate nursing students from a nursing college. Data were collected from February to June 2023 using the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) questionnaire, which assesses six domains of flourishing and their determinants. To ensure reliability and validity, a pilot study was conducted and a thorough validation process was employed.

The Flourishing Index ranged from 24.0 to 100.0, with an average score of 74.2 (SD = 14.8). Well-being, disposition and behaviour, as well as external factors, correlated strongly positively with the Flourishing Index (r = 0.741, r = 0.565, r = 0.596, all p < 0.001). The Flourishing level was significantly negatively correlated with religion (r = -0.381, p < 0.001). Married participants had a significantly negative association with flourishing (p = 0.009). Disposition and behaviour were significantly and positively associated with flourishing (p = 0.017). The regression model had goodness of fit (R²  = 0.628) and was significant overall (F = 108.703, p = 0.001). The Flourishing model was established based on well-being, external factors, religion, disposition and behaviour, and marital status.

Positive correlations between flourishing and well-being, disposition and external factors suggest areas of improvement. Conversely, the negative association with religion emphasizes the necessity of culturally sensitive approaches. Future studies with larger and more diverse samples, as well as additional variables, are crucial to obtain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence flourishing among nursing students in Saudi Arabia.