Intercultural Sensitivity of University Students Studying At Health-Related Departments and Some Associated Factors

Aim: This study was carried out to determine cultural sensitivity levels and affecting factors among the students who were studying at health-related departments. Method: The study had a cross-sectional design. The universe of the study consisted of 1127 students who were studying at 1st and 4th years in nursing department of institute of health sciences, school of physical therapy and rehabilitation and medical faculty of a state university. 523 students who agreed to participate in the study and who were attending school on the day of data collection constituted the sample of the study. The data of the study were collected using a socio-demographic data form and Intercultural Sensitivity Scale. Descriptive statistics were used in data analysis. In addition, t test was used in paired groups, and one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) was used in more than two groups. Results: The mean score of the students from Intercultural Sensitivity Scale was found to be 3.88 +/- 0.64. It was determined that cultural sensitivity was higher among the students who had interaction with people from different cultures, whose opinions about their jobs changed positively during their education, who wanted to attend student exchange programs and who spoke a foreign language (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, the cultural sensitivity level of the students was found to be at a good level. In addition, gender, interaction with people from different cultures, participation in student exchange programs and knowledge of a foreign language were found to have a bearing on cultural sensitivity. Based on these results, the promotion of collaborations which would create opportunities allowing students to interact with individuals from different cultures might be offered. This would support them in the improvement of their language qualifications and would enable participation of more students in student exchange programs abroad.