title: Professional commitment and attributional style of medical-college nursing students in China: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The persistent shortage of nurses has become a common phenomenon around the world. Nursing students' professional commitment affects their decision to choose nursing as a professional career. However, there is little knowledge about the professional commitment of nursing students, especially its relationship with attributional style.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the professional commitment of nursing students and to identify the role of attributional style on nursing students' professional commitment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study design.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted at three different medical colleges in Jinan, Shandong Province, China and included 1230 nursing students. A total of 1223 valid questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 99%.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Professional Commitment Scale and the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale (MMCS) were used to investigate nursing students' professional commitment and attributional style. Basic demographic information about the nursing students was collected. Stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean scores on the Professional Commitment Scale were 3.54±5.29 (mean±SD). Professional commitment of first year students was higher than that of second year students. Their residence affected their affective commitment, ideal commitment, and continuance commitment which were the sub-dimensions of professional commitment. Effort and ability attribution positively influenced professional commitment; however, context attribution negatively influenced it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is imperative to take effective measures to improve nursing students' professional commitment. Our findings indicated that attributional style had a significant effect on professional commitment; thus, effort and ability attribution need to be emphasized.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Linghua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China; Jinan Vocational College of Nursing, China.
authors.forename: Shiyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Guopeng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Qingling
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China.
authors.forename: Fenglan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Shandong University, China. Electronic address: pingli12@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attributional style; Nursing students; Professional commitment