The Chain Mediating Effects of External Locus of Control and Psychological Entitlement between Parental Over-Protection and Academic Entitlement among Nursing Students: A cross-sectional Study

Background Academic entitlement in nursing students has been shown to cause problems such as superficial learning, lack of theoretical knowledge, and weak practical abilities, all of which affect the overall quality of nursing talents in the future, thereby affecting the quality of nursing services and patient safet. However, few studies have focused on the academic entitlement of Chinese nursing students and its influencing mechanisms. Purpose To explore the influence of parental over-protection on academic entitlement of nursing students, and to examine the mediating roles of external locus of control and psychological entitlement. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design. The study sampled two medical universities in Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, China. Participants were nursing students in grades one to four (N = 1,003; mean age = 19.51 years; 81.95% female). Using a structural equation model, we examined the mediating effect of external locus of control and psychological entitlement on parental over-protection and academic entitlement. Results Chinese nurses have been shown to have a higher level of academic entitlement than American students. There was a significant correlation between all variables, and external locus of control and psychological entitlement played a chain mediating role between parental over-protection and academic entitlement. Conclusion The academic entitlement of nursing students in China demands urgent attention. An over-protective parenting style, an externally controlled attribution style, and psychological entitlement are key factors which lead to nursing students’ academic entitlement. Our findings suggest that academic entitlement of nursing students can be reduced by adjusting parental rearing behaviors, reducing students’ psychological entitlement, and teaching them how to form a healthier attribution style.