Professional Self-Esteem of Turkish Midwifery Students: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Professional self-esteem (PSE) is the individual's judgment of worthiness formed regarding the self-attributions related to the individual's profession. A well-developed PSE is important for midwives to be successful in their profession, have a strong sense of belonging, and see the profession as important and valuable. This study aims to determine the perception of PSE among midwifery students, explain how their perceptions are formed, and reveal how they perceive the midwifery profession and how the components that make up this perception determine their PSE. Students' average PSE score was analyzed, and the study was conducted using an explanatory sequential, which is a mixed-method approach, to interpret the results of the questionnaire and comparative analysis in more detail through direct interviews with university midwifery program students in western Turkey. Quantitative data were collected using the Individual Data Collection Form and the Professional Self-Esteem Scale. One-way analysis variance and independent sample t-tests were used to analyze the quantitative data. The students with the highest and lowest scale scores from each class level were interviewed using a Semi-Structured Interview Form. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the qualitative data. The mean PSES score was 117.51 +/- 17.60. The t-test analysis result shows that there was a significant difference between the PSES score and choosing the midwifery department willingly, believing that they could perform the midwifery profession before and after starting the midwifery education (p < 0.05). Three main themes were obtained: the meaning of being a midwife, deciding to become a midwife, and the difficulties of being a midwife. It can be said that the main force behind the students' belief that the difficulties of the midwifery profession can be overcome is their strong love for the midwifery profession and their internalization of its importance.

Automated summary

This study aims to understand the perception of professional self-esteem among midwifery students and how it is formed, as well as to reveal their perception of the midwifery profession and how it determines their professional self-esteem. The study used a mixed-method approach, analyzing quantitative data through questionnaires and interviews with midwifery students in western Turkey. The results showed that there was a significant difference in self-esteem scores based on factors such as voluntary choice of the midwifery department and belief in ability to perform the profession. The main themes obtained from the qualitative data were the meaning of being a midwife, decision to become a midwife, and the challenges of the profession.