Perceção de ganhos de autonomia em estudantes de enfermagem

Higher education should not ignore that it should be thought of as part of an education system and, as such, should encompass a wide range of aspects that influence not only the personal and social development of the college student but also the overall development of society, which obviously depends on the scientific and technical knowledge but also on the quality of psychosocial development of those attending university or equivalent institutions. This research aims to contribute to the understanding of one of the dimensions of psychosocial development - autonomy - by investigating some of the personal and contextual factors that may contribute to a better understanding of this dimension in nursing students. The present study included 1029 college students who attended the four years of the Nursing Degree, 85.5% female and 14.7% male. The average age was 20.8 years (SD = 3.34). The results suggest that college students tend to reveal a sense of belonging and integration in the institution they attend and to perceive the institutional environment as stimulating, although in this study, stands out a special focus on activities that are more closely related to the specific studies of the institution, and less on extracurricular ones.