The relationship between clinical dishonesty and perceived clinical stress among nursing students in southeast of Iran

Abstract

Background: Clinical dishonesty is a complex problem that threatens the health and safety of patients. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical dishonesty and perceived clinical stress in nursing students. Method: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 395 nursing students from 4 nursing colleges. The data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire, Nursing Student ' s Perception of Clinical Stressors, and a 12-item researcher-made questionnaire to evaluate the frequency of clinical dishonesty in the previous semester, the frequency of witnessing dishonest behavior among peers, and the perceived severity of unethical behavior. Results: In this study, 89.1% of the students stated that they had committed at least one dishonest clinical behavior in the previous semester. The frequency of clinical dishonesty was significantly correlated with the frequency of observing dishonesty among peers (r = 0.053, p<0.01), perceived severity of unethical behavior (r = − 0.4, p<0.01), and perceived stress of students in the clinical setting (r = 0.28, p<0.01). Moreover, there were significant differences in the frequency of clinical dishonesty by gender (p = 0.006), the interest in the field of study (p = 0.004), and academic year (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The frequency of clinical dishonesty among nursing students is high and needs attention. Furthermore, considering the positive relationship between dishonesty and perceived clinical stress, it is essential to teach effective strategies to nursing students to empower them to cope with clinical stress. Background Academic dishonesty is deliberate complicity in the deceptive performance of one's own or another's academic work [1], which is an extremely complex issue [2]. According to educational theories, poor learning environments, lack of ethics training by the university [3], poor communication with peers and teachers (according to social psychologists) [4], and some cultural factors are associated with academic dishonesty [5]. Although it is assumed that academic dishonesty among nursing students is lower than that among students of other majors, studies have shown that the trend of dishonest behaviors in nursing students is similar to that of other majors [6]. The continuing growth of academic dishonesty in nursing education is of concern to nursing institutions and educators in many countries [7, 8]. Previous studies have shown that nursing students are likely to commit dishonest behavior in both the clinical setting and the classroom [9, 10]. Some studies showed that 13% of students recorded the vital signs that they had not

Academic Misconduct: Attitudes and Perceptions of Brazilian Medical Students

“…These results are worrisome and may reflect the great burden of self-charge and stress associated with women during undergraduate studies to ensure a better performance in their professional careers (Sadir et al, 2010). In line with this, a recent study of 395 Iranian nursing students found a higher prevalence of professional misconduct among women and a positive correlation with perceived stress (Rafati et al, 2020).…”

“…Nevertheless, academic misconduct such as plagiarism, cheating on tests, individual use of collective academic material, and unauthorized recording of classes are commonly observed (Anderson & Obenshain, 1994;Gitanjali, 2004;Sousa et al, 2016). These attitudes, during the training phase, can be associated with inappropriate behavior in clinical-professional settings (Rafati et al, 2020;Satterwhite, 2000). Thus, the teaching of ethics in medical training is still a topic of global concern, since it is potentially harmful to the professional behavior of future physicians (Mubeen et al, 2017;Sousa et al, 2016).…”

Academic integrity in upper year nursing students’ work-integrated settings

“…Other U.S. nursing research studies heralded similar results in that there were high incidences of cheating reported amongst nursing students, and these incidences were occurring both in the classroom and WIL settings (Krueger 2014;McClung & Gaberson 2020;McClung & Kraenzle Schneider, 2018;McCrink, 2010). Similar findings have been reported through the international nursing literature and amplify the need to understand how such behaviour and conduct impacts the effectiveness of nursing education locally and globally (Ali et al, 2018;Keçeci et al, 2011;Lovric et al, 2020;Macale, 2017;Rafati et al, 2020).…”

Profiling nursing students’ dishonest behaviour: Classroom versus clinical settings

“…The rapid development of modern technology and the pervasive phenomenon of credentialism and academic inflation 1,2 seem to contribute to a significant increase in unethical and academic dishonest behaviour among nursing students worldwide. [3][4][5][6][7] Credentialism and educational inflation encompass a number of interrelated processes that include excessive formal demands and 'inflated' needs for high grades for the purpose of academic and professional success, increased chance of employment and career advancement. The mentioned competition policy performs additional pressure on students who strive to achieve excellent grades at all costs.…”

“…The mentioned competition policy performs additional pressure on students who strive to achieve excellent grades at all costs. [3][4][5][6][7] Academic dishonesty in higher education is a widespread, insidious and global problem. 8 In higher education, nursing programmes can have profound negative implications for the clinical setting.…”