Structural Relationships between Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness, Everyday Creativity, and Clinical Competence in Nursing Students: Mediating Effects of Everyday Creativity

Abstract

Background: Incorporating socio-cognitive mindfulness, which has not received much attention from nursing researchers, this study investigated the structural relationships between socio-cognitive mindfulness, everyday creativity, and clinical competence among nursing students. This study also explored the mediating effect of everyday creativity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 222 nursing students in South Korea. Students completed the questionnaire evaluating their own socio-cognitive mindfulness, everyday creativity, and clinical competence. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and path analysis. Results: Socio-cognitive mindfulness positively influenced everyday creativity (β = 0.791, p < 0.01), and everyday creativity also positively influenced clinical competence (β = 0.470, p < 0.01). However, the relationship between socio-cognitive mindfulness and clinical competence was not significant. Importantly, everyday creativity fully mediated the relationship between socio-cognitive mindfulness and clinical competence (a × b = 0.372, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The results indicate that socio-cognitive mindfulness effectively enhances nursing students’ clinical competence by improving their everyday creativity. The mediating result highlights the significance of everyday creativity in nursing education, underscoring the necessity for training programs aimed at cultivating creativity. This research offers a basis for developing programs that concentrate on socio-cognitive mindfulness and everyday creativity, with the goal of enhancing the clinical competence of nursing students.