Nursing student volunteerism for marginalized populations: Predictive analysis of influencing factors

BACKGROUND: As access to healthcare remains a global challenge, the potential for voluntary community service by nurses to address the issue of healthcare in underserved communities is significant. For educational institutions, the creation of incentives and motivation for student volunteerism represents a substantial challenge. The present research examines nursing students' motivation to volunteer in the context of socioeconomic determinants of health status, with a particular focus on attitudes towards poverty as a predictor of student motivation. OBJECTIVE: To predict the willingness of Hungarian nursing students to engage in voluntary care for disadvantaged populations. PARTICIPANTS: Graduate nursing students from three of the four national university centers in Hungary participated in the study (N = 240). Convenience stratified sampling was employed. METHODS: Cross-sectional study design was conducted. The online survey included the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI), Helping Attitudes Scale, Social Justice Scale, Attitude to Poverty Scale Short Form, and Beliefs Related to Poverty and Health. One-way ANOVA, and multivariate linear regression were performed. RESULTS: The strongest predictor of volunteer intention was education, although VFI 'values', social motivation, helping attitudes, and Beliefs Related to Poverty and Health were also identified as important factors. Conversely, experience in the health sector had a negative impact on volunteer intention. CONCLUSION: The role of the educational institution is critical in shaping student volunteerism. It would be critical to introduce dedicated courses into the educational curriculum that specifically prepare nursing students for participation in community voluntary service. The course should be designed to clarify students' knowledge in the context of socio-economic factors affecting health while increasing their belief in helping others.