Acts of xenophobia among nurse educators: A qualitative study

Background: Xenophobia has been in existence for centuries, though subtle and not too pronounced as of recent years. It has now pervaded all spheres including businesses, academia and industries. Previous studies have found it to be disruptive both to organizations and employees.

Purpose: To explore acts of xenophobia among nurse educators, underpinned by the frustration and aggression theory.

Method: A qualitative study involving twenty-five nurse educators in Botswana was carried out between July 2019 and August 2020. Open-ended semi-structured questions were used to collect face to face in-depth interviews from participants.

Findings: Dehumanizing comments, labelling and discrimination were the three themes that emerged from interpretative analysis. Affected persons were mostly foreign nationals and people of different ethnic groupings.

Conclusion: The study concluded that there is need for a policy that addresses acts of xenophobia and an intervention to mitigate acts of xenophobia.