Investigation of Nursing Students’ Attitudes toward Brain Drain at a Foundation University: A Descriptive Study

Aim: The aim is to examine the attitudes of nursing students studying at a foundation university toward brain drain.

Method: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in accordance with the STROBE guidelines to examine the attitudes of nursing students toward brain drain and related factors. Data were collected from students at a foundation university in Istanbul between March 1 and May 30, 2024. The sample of the study consisted of 191 students studying in the undergraduate nursing program at a foundation university. Stratified sampling technique was used to determine the sample. The data were collected using a questionnaire form including socio-demographic characteristics and the 16-item attitude scale toward brain drain (ASBD). Descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the data.

Results: Three-quarters (74.3%) of the students participating in the study were female and the mean age was 21.18 ± 1.60 years. About 55% of the students stated that they were hesitant to go to a different country and 48.1% stated that they could easily communicate with people from different cultures. The total mean score of the nursing students on the ASBD was 54.01 ± 11.39. As a result of the examination of the factors affecting the total ASBD scores using Spearman correlation analysis, it was determined that they were related to age, hesitation to go to a different country, wanting to work in a different country, and having the ability to interact smoothly with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Conclusion: The study found that nursing students exhibited above-average attitudes toward brain drain and that factors such as age, reluctance to migrate, desire to work abroad, and the ability to communicate comfortably with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds significantly influenced these attitudes. In order to reduce students’ attitudes toward brain drain, better living, working, and educational and career opportunities should be created for students and strategies to combat the brain drain phenomenon should be developed.

Cite this article as: Kavala A, Karadede H, Şahin Tokatlıoğlu T, İşbay Aydemir B. Investigation of nursing students’ attitudes toward brain drain at a foundation university: A descriptive study. Arch Health Sci Res. 2025, 12, 0013, doi: 10.5152/ArcHealthSciRes.2025.25013.