Influence of technical, cognitive and socio-emotional factors on digital literacy in nursing students assessed using structural equation modeling

Digital literacy is one of the 21st-century skills that nursing students should develop and acquire. Several factors influencing digital literacy have been identified, but the predictive role of technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors in digital literacy remains unexplored in nursing students. This study aimed to explore the digital literacy level and determine the predictive role of technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors in digital literacy among nursing students in Turkey using a structural equation modeling (SEM)–based approach. A web-based, predictive, cross-sectional study. This study was conducted among first-, second-, third- and fourth-year students in a nursing faculty located in the capital of Turkey in the academic year 2021–2022. Overall, 210 nursing students were recruited for this study. The use of a digital literacy model guided data collection. Data were collected between 8 and 28 June 2022 using online Google Forms. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SEM. Nursing students' digital literacy mean score was 67.29 (13.60). Internet self-efficacy (β = 0.31, p