The effect of a self-awareness and communication techniques course on the communication skills and ways of coping with stress of nursing students: An interventional study in Ankara, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a self-awareness and communication techniques course on nursing students' communication skills and their ways of coping with stress.. METHODS: The interventional study was conducted at Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey, from February to May, 2016, and comprised second-year students in an undergraduate programme. Data was collected using the Student Information Form, Communication Skills Inventory, and Ways of Coping with Stress Inventory. The intervention course consisted of a 14-week curriculum and used rich educational methods. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the123 subjects, 99(80.5%) were females. The overall mean age was 20.00}1.00 years (range: 19-25 years). Overall, 65(52.8%) subjects said they did not choose the profession of nursing voluntarily, while 81(65.9%) were satisfied with their choice. The post-intervention scores were significantly different than the baseline scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The course was successful in increasing the students' communication skills as well as their skills for actively coping with stress.