Abstract
Purpose
This study examined the relationships between nursing students' demographics, pain management knowledge and attitudes, and caring behaviors using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).Design
A cross-sectional correlational predictive design was conducted.Methods
A sample of 299 undergraduate nursing students (Years 2-4) across three campuses in the United Arab Emirates participated in this study. Data were collected using the Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP), the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 (CBI-24), and a demographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and SEM analyses were performed.Results
Students demonstrated moderate pain management knowledge (mean = 23.87 ± 4.8; 58.2% correct), performing better on theoretical items than on case-based clinical scenarios. Caring behaviors were generally high. A strong positive correlation was observed between KASRP and caring behaviors (r = 0.72, p Conclusions
Enhancing applied pain education is essential to bridge the theory-practice gap and strengthen patient-centered nursing care.