Social contact and xenophobia as predictors of nursing students' attitudes toward refugees: Evidence from a multicultural university context

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the predictive roles of xenophobia and social contact in shaping nursing students' attitudes toward refugees. Background: Refugees are a highly vulnerable population who often face barriers to equitable healthcare access. Nursing students' attitudes toward refugees are important because they may influence future care quality, communication, and culturally safe practice. However, evidence on how xenophobia and social contact jointly shape these attitudes remains limited, particularly in university settings where a high proportion of international students creates frequent multicultural interaction. Design: This study employed a descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design. Methods: The study was conducted with 421 nursing students at a public university in T & uuml;rkiye where the number of international students, particularly Syrian students, is relatively high. Data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the Attitudes Toward Refugees Scale, the Xenophobia Scale, and the Social Contact Scale. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results: The mean scores were 92.36 +/- 16.48 for attitudes toward refugees, 47.20 +/- 9.96 for xenophobia, and 25.97 +/- 6.74 for social contact. Xenophobia was the strongest predictor of more negative attitudes toward refugees (beta = 0.526, p < .001). Both contact frequency (beta = -0.149, p < .001) and contact quality (beta = -0.161, p < .001) were significant negative predictors of attitude scores, indicating that more frequent and more positive contact was associated with less negative attitudes. Female sex predicted more negative attitudes (beta = 0.125, p = .001), whereas being a fourth-year student predicted more positive attitudes (beta = -0.091, p = .019). Social contact frequency (beta = -0.122, p = .013) and contact quality (beta = -0.291, p < .001) were also significant negative predictors of xenophobia. Conclusions: Xenophobia appears to be a key barrier to positive attitudes toward refugees, whereas both the frequency and quality of social contact may play a protective role. Nursing curricula should therefore strengthen intercultural education and create opportunities for meaningful, positive contact with culturally diverse groups to support inclusive and equitable care.