Building empathy and competence in suicide risk assessment: nursing students’ debriefing experiences from an arts-based simulation program

Background This study evaluates how reflective debriefing prepares nursing students for complex clinical scenarios while fostering empathy and resilient care. Aim To explore students’ debriefing experiences and examine variations based on demographic characteristics. Methods This cross-sectional study involved second-year nursing students completing a questionnaire that incorporated the Debriefing Experience Scale. Analysis utilized exploratory factor analysis and logistic regression. Results Analysis identified two primary factors: Facilitator Support and Learning Guidance, and Emotional Processing and Environment. Logistic regression revealed significant associations between student backgrounds, specifically gender and country of birth and their experiences with learning and emotional processing. Sufficient debriefing time and facilitator communication were also strongly linked to demographic backgrounds. Conclusions Arts-based simulation combined with structured debriefing effectively improved learning for suicide risk assessment. Integrating reflective debriefing into nursing curricula is a powerful strategy for preparing students for complex scenarios while fostering empathy.