Introduction

Nursing is associated with patients’ expectations related to considerable professional qualifications and skills, and demonstration of personality traits such as protectiveness and empathy. These traits are closely related to assertiveness based on a sense of dignity and tolerance for dissimilarity.

Aim of the study

The aim of the study was to analyse the level of assertiveness among nurses and students of nursing and demonstrate the influence of age, education, and work seniority on assertive behaviours.

Material and methods

The studies enrolled 142 nurses who were students of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Bielsko-Biała. The study applied the diagnostic poll method with the use of the following tools: a self-written survey questionnaire and the Map of Assertiveness. The collected material was subjected to statistical analysis performed using SAS 9.4. software. The considered significance level was p < 0.05.

Results

The respondents obtained 133.04 out of a possible 170 points in the “general assertiveness level”. Statistically significant differences were found between persons aged 22-37 years and of those aged 38-55 years, in the “general assertiveness level”, the “expressing requests level”, and the “contacts with an authority level”. Statistically significant differences were found between the persons with secondary education and those with a bachelor’s degree and those with up to 10 years and of those with 11-35 years of work seniority, in the general “general assertiveness level”, the “expressing positive feelings level”, and the “contacts with an authority level”.

Conclusions

The nurses represented an average general level of assertiveness. Age, work seniority, and education were factors affecting the assertiveness level in the studied group.