LAUSR

Objective. To determine the levels of communication apprehension (CA) experienced by health students and compare them according to sex, age range, course, and academic year. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a Brazilian university from December 2019 to May 2020 with dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, and nursing students, recruited by convenience sampling. The students were invited to answer a survey consisting of two sections: general characteristic and the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24). Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted. Results. A total of 644 health students answered the survey, of whom 25.5% were classified as having high communication apprehension. Male participants had significantly lower PRCA-24 scores than females. No significant differences were found between PRCA-24 scores by age category or academic year. Medical students had significantly lower mean PRCA-24 scores than pharmacy students. Conclusion. The prevalence of high CA was high and apparently remained stable over time. The highest scores for CA were obtained by women and pharmacy students. Health educators should consider the effects of communication apprehension and use adequate interventions during communication skills training.