Exploring cultural competence knowledge, skills, and comfort among male nursing students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background and objective: Cultural competence intentionally enhances the quality improvement process in healthcare. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and comfort level of cultural competence and determine the important factors contributing to health disparities among male nursing students.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive paper-based study was conducted among male nursing students at a Saudi University between March and May 2024. Data was collected using structured, pre-validated 47-item questionnaires and analyzed using the statistical package for social science version 27. For bivariate analysis, Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test was employed. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The response rate obtained was 86%. Approximately half of the students (50.8%; n = 131) believed they were somewhat knowledgeable about the demographics of diverse racial and ethnic groups, while only 5% (n = 13) were very knowledgeable. Lifestyle (14%) and environment (12%) were important factors contributing to health disparities. The mean score for knowledge and skills of cultural competence was 67.99 ± (SD = 16.21), while it was 31.29 ± (SD = 12.31), for cross-cultural encounters and 43.32 ± (SD = 13.72) for factors contributing to health disparities. In this study, 50.4% (n = 130) of students reported good levels of knowledge and skills of cultural competence, and 53.5% (n = 138) of students showed good attitudes towards factors contributing to health disparities. There was a significant association between students' grade point average (GPA) and knowledge and skills in cultural competence, with those having higher GPAs demonstrating higher levels of knowledge and those with GPAs above 3.5 reporting higher levels of comfort than those with GPAs below 2 (p = 0.045). Conversely, a significant association was found between students' age group and GPA and their attitudes regarding variables contributing to health disparities (p = 0.0001). In addition, findings reveal that there is a statistically significant linear relationship between knowledge and skills of cultural competence and comfort in dealing with cross-cultural encounters (r = 0.438, p = 0.01) and factors contributing to health disparities (r = 0.376, p = 0.01).

Conclusion: This study found that male nursing students demonstrated a relatively good level of cultural competence, showing comfort in interacting with diverse cultural backgrounds and awareness of social, economic, and cultural determinants of health inequities. To further enhance their preparedness for diverse patient populations, structured training programs, real-world exposure, and reflective learning are recommended.

Clinical trial number: Not applicable.