Social support for nursing students: A concept analysis study

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the concept of social support in nursing students. Design: A concept analysis method was used. Data sources: Articles on concept analysis, published from 2000 to 2022, were examined. Science Direct, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Google Scholar were searched to identify international articles, and Research Information Sharing Service, Korean Studies Information Service System, and Database periodical information academic were searched to identify Korean articles. In total, 27 articles were examined. Results: The following attributes of social support were found: 1) structural (social integration and social support network); 2) educational (academic support and support of a role model); 3) psychosocial (emotional, positive appraisal, and self-esteem supports); and 4) instrumental (informational and material supports). Furthermore, social support was found to have the following antecedents: 1) stress and crisis, 2) personal need, 3) social network, and 4) social climate. The consequences of social support were as follows: 1) improved mental health and 2) quality of life. Conclusions: Social support among nursing students includes both structural and functional attributes. Structural attributes are social integration and support networks, and functional attributes are educational, psychosocial, and instrumental. Based on the results, we recommend developing a tool to measure social support for nursing students in the future.