Date of Conferral

3-31-2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Nursing

Advisor

Sophia Brown

Abstract

Health misinformation on social media is a global public health concern. Research has shown that health misinformation causes significant harm in communities, especially for vulnerable populations with existing health disparities. Nurses have been urged to play a more significant role in combating health misinformation. Existing research has shown that nurses are hesitant to correct health misinformation on social media, but attitudes among current nursing students have not been examined. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore nursing students' attitudes about correcting health misinformation on social media. Guided by Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior and Paterson and Zderad’s humanistic nursing theory, nine U.S. prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students were interviewed over Zoom using a semistructured interview guide. Data were analyzed using a descriptive thematic analysis approach aligned with Guest et al.’s applied thematic analysis and Sandelowski’s thematic stance of staying close to the participants’ words. The themes identified were (a) motivated to educate, (b) responsibility with growing confidence, and (c) hesitation stemming from perceived risk. More than half indicated they were likely or very likely to correct health misinformation in the future. Nurses should increase their presence on social media to build trust with their communities and share accurate health information and resources. Integrating social media communication competencies into existing curricula would better prepare future nurses to establish trusting relationships with their communities online. These efforts collectively would support positive social change by improving health information literacy and promoting informed decision-making across diverse populations.

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