Abstract

Introduction: Assertiveness is an important skill for today's professional nurse which increases self-confidence, and enhances interpersonal communications. This study was aimed to examine the effect of assertiveness-based program on self-esteem and interpersonal communication in nursing students. Materials and methods: This was a semi-experimental study with control group conducted on 60 students using convenience sampling and were randomly allocated into two groups. Data collection tool was self-esteem and interpersonal communication scales in a such way that were completed before and after intervention. The training program was hold in six sessions of 1.5 hours (one session per week). No training program was considered for the control group. Paired t-test was used to compare the mean of intra-group scores for the pre-test and post-test scores and independent t-test were used to compare the mean scores of the experiment and control groups. Results: The results showed that after the assertiveness-based intervention program, the mean score of self-esteem in the experiment group (31.06 ± 3.13) was significantly higher compared to the control group (28.13±2.52) (P<0.001). Additionally, the mean score of interpersonal communication in the intervention group was significantly higher compared to the control group (P<0.001). The results of paired t-test showed a significant difference in total self-esteem before and after intervention (P=0.009). According to independent t-test, the mean and standard deviation of the difference between before and after the interpersonal communication in the intervention group (13.7 ± 6.58) and in the control group (2.83 ± 7.11) was statistically significant (P<0.001).  Conclusion: According to the results, the assertiveness-based training increases self-esteem and interpersonal communication and can be used to increase self-esteem and communication skills of nursing students.