The Mediating Role of Artificial Intelligence Literacy in the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence Attitudes and Anxiety of Surgical Nurses: A Structural Equation Modeling Study.

PURPOSE: This study aims to determine the mediating role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy in the relationship between AI attitudes and the anxiety of surgical nurses.

DESIGN

A descriptive and correlational study.

METHODS

The sample comprised 244 surgical nurses employed in two health institutions. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews between November 9, 2024, and January 15, 2025. Instruments included the Descriptive Information Form, General Attitude Toward AI Scale, AI Anxiety Scale, and AI Literacy Scale. Statistical analyses involved descriptive statistics, parametric tests, Pearson correlation, linear regression, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

FINDINGS: Mean scores were 61.99 ± 10.63 for the AI Literacy Scale, 61.67 ± 8.02 for the General Attitude Toward AI Scale, and 47.29 ± 11.84 for the AI Anxiety Scale. SEM results indicated that AI attitudes had both direct and indirect effects on anxiety levels. Specifically, AI anxiety had a direct negative effect (β = -0.156) and a slight indirect negative effect (β = -0.003) on positive AI attitudes. Similarly, AI anxiety positively (β = 0.190) and indirectly negatively (β = -0.010) affected negative AI attitudes. AI literacy was found to mediate the relationship between attitudes toward AI and AI-related anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrate that AI literacy plays a mediating role in the link between AI attitudes and anxiety among surgical nurses. Enhancing AI literacy may help reduce anxiety and support positive attitudes toward AI integration in clinical environments.