The relationship between intercultural communication apprehension and xenophobia in healthcare professionals

It was planned to decipher the intercultural communication apprehension and xenophobia levels of nurses and midwives and the relationship between these two variables in Gaziantep. The study, which was conducted to determine the relationship between the levels of intercultural communication apprehension and the levels of xenophobia of health workers, is of cross-sectional type. The data was collected from nurses and midwives working at Cengiz Gökçek Maternity and Children's Hospital in Gaziantep province between the dates November 2020-May 2021. The research was conducted with 143 nurses and midwives who volunteered to participate in the study. Research data was collected through the personal data form, the Intercultural Communication Apprehension Scale and the Xenophobia Scale. Mean ±, standard deviation, frequency, percentage values, independent groups t-test and one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) test were used in the analysis of the data. The average score of health workers from the Intercultural Communication Anxiety Scale was 32.64±6.78. In our research, we found that health workers have a moderate level of intercultural communication apprehension. The average score of health workers from the Xenophobia Scale was 42.81±7.61. As a result of research, it was found that health workers have a moderate level of xenophobia. In our research, a positive moderate relation was found between the intercultural communication concerns of health workers and the levels of xenophobia (r=.432, p<0.05). In study, it was found that these variables were lower in the findings on intercultural communication anxiety and xenophobia level with increased educational status. The number of academic courses for intercultural communication, culture-sensitive care and migration should be increased in the pre-service education programs of all health workers who will work in the health service sector and these courses should be supported by implementations.