Factors affecting nursing students' perceptions of family-centered care in Korea

Purpose Family-centered care (FCC) is a fundamental philosophy in pediatric nursing emphasizing family participation and collaboration. Although FCC improves patient outcomes, its implementation requires positive perceptions developed during nursing education. In Korea—where family involvement is culturally valued, yet nursing students have limited clinical exposure—no study has examined FCC perceptions or their associated factors among nursing students. This study examined factors associated with the FCC perceptions among Korean nursing students who had taken pediatric nursing coursework. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 217 junior and senior nursing students from two universities in South Korea. Data were collected from July to August 2024, using validated Korean versions of structured questionnaires assessing emotional intelligence, communication competence, interpersonal competence, and perceptions of FCC. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with FCC perceptions. Results The mean score for FCC perceptions was 4.17 ± 0.52 (mean age: 22.58 ± 2.48 years, 74.7% female). FCC perceptions were positively correlated with emotional intelligence ( r = 0.31), communication competence ( r = 0.45), and interpersonal competence (r = 0.31) (all p < .001). Communication competence ( β = 0.38, 95% CI [0.195, 0.638]) and childhood hospitalization experience ( β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.003, 0.251]) were significant predictors, explaining 26.1% of the variance. Conclusion This study revealed communication competence and childhood hospitalization experience as key factors associated with FCC perceptions and highlighted a theory–practice gap whereby clinical exposure may reduce positive perceptions. Implications to practice Nursing education should prioritize communication skills training and simulation-based learning with family centered scenarios to maintain positive FCC perceptions while addressing realistic practice expectations.