Pain Management and Caring Behaviors in UAE Nursing Students: Structural Equation Modeling

This study examined the relationships between nursing students' demographics, pain management knowledge and attitudes, and caring behaviors using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

A cross-sectional correlational predictive design was conducted.

A sample of 299 undergraduate nursing students (Years 2-4) across three campuses in the United Arab Emirates participated in this study. Data were collected using the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP), the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 (CBI-24), and a demographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and SEM analyses were performed.

Students demonstrated moderate pain management knowledge (mean = 23.87 ± 4.8; 58.2% correct), performing better on theoretical items than on case-based clinical scenarios. Caring behaviors were generally high. A strong positive correlation was observed between KASRP and caring behaviors (r = 0.72, p < .001). Significant differences in both KASRP and CBI-24 scores were found across academic level, grade point average (GPA), and clinical experience (p < .01). SEM revealed that academic level (β = 0.25), GPA (β = 0.21), and clinical experience (β = 0.23) significantly predicted pain knowledge, which in turn predicted caring behaviors (β = 0.45, p < .001). Pain knowledge fully mediated the relationship between demographic variables and caring behaviors. The model demonstrated excellent fit (Comparative Fit Index = 0.98; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.04).

Enhancing applied pain education is essential to bridge the theory-practice gap and strengthen patient-centered nursing care.