Characteristics of nursing profession self-efficacy and associated factors: a multiple regression analysis

Enhancing nursing expertise contributes to the advancement of healthcare as a whole. Therefore, it is crucial that nurses be able to perform specialized tasks. However, the factors related to nursing profession self-efficacy are insufficiently understood. This study aimed to theoretically and comprehensively examine the factors associated with nursing profession self-efficacy.

This cross-sectional study involved 325 nurses from seven facilities in the Chubu region of Japan. Based on prior research, factors influencing nursing profession self-efficacy were established as professional autonomy, communication skills with patients, work motivation, self‑education, perceived stress, and basic attributes. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, and multiple regression analysis.

Nursing profession self-efficacy was positively associated with work motivation (β = 0.384), self‑education (β = 0.246), professional autonomy (β = 0.236), and communication skills with patients (β = 0.157) (all p <.001). In contrast, perceived stress and basic attributes were not statistically significant in the final model. Model fit indices (R =.756, R² = 0.571, adjusted R² = 0.557; Durbin-Watson = 1.988) indicated no issues with residual independence or autocorrelation.

This study identified work motivation, self‑education, professional autonomy, and communication skills with patients as factors associated with nursing profession self-efficacy. These findings suggest that workplace environments that support professional meaning in daily work and promote continuous learning may help strengthen nursing profession self-efficacy among nurses. Organizational cultures that encourage autonomous decision-making and educational programs that incorporate practical communication training may also be useful for supporting nursing profession self-efficacy.

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