Social characteristics of nurses’ professional behavior by age
Introduction
The professionalism of nurses represents a key concept of nursing, which presupposes the formation of a specific professional identity and the development of characteristics enabling effective performance of the profession, its continuous improvement, and the achievement of nursing care goals (He et al., 2024). The professional identity of nurses is understood as a complex set of traits, values, beliefs, motivations, and experiences through which nurses define their professional role and place within the healthcare system (Mellett, White, Kustenbauder, 2025). A significant feature of nursing practice is its interpersonal nature. Nurses find themselves daily in various social situations in which, through interaction with patients, their families, and the healthcare team, they contribute to the realization of nursing care goals. The quality of this care is largely conditioned by nurses’ ability to function professionally in social relationships.
Professional behavior of nurses is the result of several determinants, particularly professional, ethical, and psychosocial factors, with social characteristics that contribute to the quality of interpersonal interactions in clinical practice playing a significant role. Key among these are communication skills, empathy, the ability to understand social situations, and to adequately regulate behavior in interaction with the patient, their family, and the healthcare team (Parová, 2026). These characteristics are of fundamental importance for nursing practice, as they influence not only the quality of the therapeutic relationship but also patient satisfaction and the overall effectiveness of provided care. The ability to identify patient needs, respond adequately and professionally to their behavior, and create a supportive communication environment therefore belongs to the basic social competencies of the nursing profession. Research findings indicate that nurses’ clinical competencies develop and improve over time. Increasing the level of expertise, as well as social and personal characteristics, is often associated with advancing age and the acquisition of work experience (Piirainen et al., 2021).
Research Methodology
The aim of the research was to analyze the relationship between nurses’ age and selected dimensions of their social functioning in clinical practice. Through the research, we sought to identify connections between age and functional (social information processing, social skills, social sensitivity) and dispositional characteristics of social functioning (empathy, manipulation, social irritability).
The research sample consisted of 96 nurses working in various healthcare facilities in Slovakia. In terms of age, the respondents were divided into five categories. The most numerous group were nurses aged 26–35 years (32.3%; n = 31), nearly one third of nurses were aged 46–55 years (27.1%; n = 26). The youngest age category up to 25 years was represented by 16.7% of respondents (n = 16), and the proportion of nurses aged 36–45 years was 14.6% (n = 14). Nurses over 55 years represented the smallest group (9.4%; n = 9). Data collection was conducted anonymously and voluntarily using standardized questionnaires.
Standardized research instruments, the Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS) (Silvera et al., 2001) and the MESI questionnaire (Frankovský, Birknerová, 2011), which allow for the assessment of selected functional and dispositional dimensions of social functioning, were used for data collection.
Methods of descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data processing. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between age and individual dimensions of social functioning. The choice of this statistical procedure was conditioned by the nature of the data, with their distribution being verified prior to the analysis itself, which did not allow the use of parametric tests. Statistical significance was assessed at a significance level of p < 0.05. The analysis was performed in the SPSS statistical program.
Results
Data analysis did not demonstrate statistically significant relationships between age and the observed dimensions of nurses’ social functioning in nursing practice (Table 1). These results, characteristic of the research sample in question, may indicate that nurses’ age does not represent a statistically significant factor influencing their social functioning in clinical practice. We can consider that nurses’ social characteristics, such as empathy, social sensitivity, or social information processing, are not determined by age as an isolated factor. Despite the aforementioned theoretical assumptions about the gradual development of social competencies over the course of life and professional practice of nurses, no significant differences between individual age groups were demonstrated in the analyzed sample. This fact may be explained by the notion that nurses acquire similar ways of communication and behavior during practice, which subsequently manifest stably regardless of age. Here we can assume that nurses’ social functioning in the clinical environment is determined by several factors, which may include level of education, length of clinical practice, social work environment, organizational culture, management style, with age likely playing a secondary role. The absence of statistically significant relationships may also be explained by the fact that nurses, during their professional development, acquire norms of communication and interaction that are relatively stable regardless of age.
*Table 1 Relationship between age and individual dimensions of social aspects of nurses’ work [
](https://prohuman.sk/files/images/tab1-spearman.png)
Discussion
Our findings point to the absence of statistically significant relationships between age and the dimensions of nurses' social functioning. This suggests that age as an independent factor may not play a decisive role in interpersonal behavior in nursing practice. Despite the theoretical assumptions mentioned above regarding the development of social competencies with age, differences between age groups were not demonstrated in our research. These results can be explained by the fact that nurses adopt similar forms of communication and behavior during their professional practice, which subsequently stabilize and manifest relatively uniformly regardless of age. Nevertheless, our findings are consistent with several studies that also did not confirm a significant relationship between age and the psychosocial characteristics of nurses. For example, Hapsari (2025) points to a higher proportion of stress and discomfort in social situations among older nurses, but even this relationship was not statistically significant in their research (p = 0.298). Similar research results were also found by Tristanta Puspitasari et al. (2020), who also did not find a significant relationship between age and social stress in nurses (p = 0.816), which also suggests that age itself may not be a decisive factor influencing the psychosocial aspects of work. Further research also confirms that workload, organizational conditions, or managing social interactions play a more significant role than age itself (Hartono, Siwanto, 2017; Anggini et al., 2023). Although our findings are consistent with several studies that did not confirm a significant relationship between age and the psychosocial aspects of nurses' work, there is also research that points to an opposite trend in this area. For example, Chrzan-Rodak et al. (2022) found that lower age was associated with a higher level of social competencies (p = 0.04), while older nurses exhibited a lower level of social skills (r = −0.10; p = 0.04). These differing findings suggest that the relationship between age and social functioning may not be clear-cut and may be influenced by various contextual factors, such as the work environment, type of healthcare facility, personality factors, or the nature of the work performed.
Conclusion
Nurses' social competencies represent a key element in providing quality nursing care. These are characteristics that enable the creation of effective and beneficial relationships with patients, based on which it is possible to positively influence their health status, support adherence to treatment, and facilitate lifestyle changes. At the same time, they play a significant role in a multiprofessional environment, where they condition the ability for effective cooperation and team functioning.
Age in the context of these social competencies may not play a primary role, but rather represents one of several factors that contribute to shaping the professional behavior of nurses. The results of our research suggest that nurses' social functioning is likely more influenced by the nature of the work environment, professional experiences, and the process of professionalization than by age itself. These findings highlight the importance of systematically supporting the development of nurses' social competencies across all age categories, focusing on strengthening communication skills, assertive communication, empathy, and teamwork as fundamental prerequisites for quality nursing practice.
**Author: PhDr. Valéria Parová, PhD. *** Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Nursing*
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