Factors influencing nursing students' willingness to volunteer during wartime emergencies: A cross sectional study in Israel

Background

During wartime emergencies, the Ministry of Health in Israel faces workforce shortages, prompting consideration of nursing students as auxiliary support. Understanding the factors influencing nursing students' willingness to volunteer, is essential for effective crisis preparedness.

Aim

The research seeks to identify how self-efficacy, positive attitudes, institutional support, knowledge, age, gender, prior experience, and familial obligations impact nursing students' readiness to volunteer during mass casualty events in wartime.

Design

This study employed a descriptive, cross-sectional research approach.

Settings

Nursing schools in Israel.

Participants

A convenience sample of 300 nursing students who had commenced their studies for at least one month. The study targeted nursing students across Israel, regardless of their specific school affiliation. Recruitment was conducted through various channels, including face-to-face recruitment, emails, and synchronous chat groups.

Methods

Data were collected using a structured self-report questionnaire based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory and adapted from existing literature. Statistical analyses, included t-tests, Pearson correlation, and linear rand logistic regressions.

Results

The study found high levels of intent (M = 3.33, SD = 0.83), perceived self-efficacy (M = 3.25, SD = 0.54), and positive attitudes towards volunteering during wartime (M = 3.57, SD = 0.54) among nursing students towards volunteering during wartime. Significant correlations were observed between students' willingness to volunteer during wartime and factors such as positive attitudes to volunteer during wartime (r = 0.543, p < 0.01), perceived self-efficacy (r = 0.313, p < 0.01), institutional support (r = 0.313, p < 0.01), knowledge (r = 0.138, p < 0.05), age (r = 0.179, p < 0.01), and previous volunteering experience (r = 0.158, p < 0.01). Regression analyses indicated that positive attitudes towards wartime volunteering, perceived self-efficacy, institutional support, and prior volunteering were significant predictors of the intention to volunteer.

Conclusions

Nursing students in Israel demonstrate a high willingness to volunteer during wartime, influenced by factors such as perceived self-efficacy, positive attitudes towards volunteering, and institutional support. While these findings suggest potential areas for enhancing volunteerism, further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of targeted training and support interventions. Nonetheless, fostering these key factors could strengthen the healthcare system's capacity to respond to wartime emergencies.