The Effects of a Communication Training Program on Communication and Interpersonal Relationships of Nursing Students

Purpose: The present study was to examine the effects of a communication training program on nursing students' interpersonal communication and relationships. Methods: This study was quasi-experimental research using a non-equivalent pre-post design. The subjects were 40 sophomore nursing students who were divided into an experimental group of 20 members and a control group of 20 members. The communication training program consisted of 8 sessions of small group training and each session lasted 120 minutes. A pretest, posttest and follow-up test (6 months after the program was terminated) were conducted to measure Inter-personal Communication Inventory and Relationships Scale. Data was analyzed by <TEX>X²</TEX>-test, independent t-test, paired t-test and Friedman test with SPSS. Results: The communication training program was very effective in enhancing the nursing students' communication and interpersonal abilities. Nursing students' communication ability in the experimental group, however, decreases after 6 months while there is no change in the control group. Nursing students' interpersonal relationships in the experimental group was maintained at the follow-up test. Conclusions: This study supports that a communication training program has a positive effect on improving the nursing students' communication skill and interpersonal relationships.