Nursing student perspectives on improving mental health support services at university in Saudi Arabia - a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: University students' needs for mental health (MH) services are an important aspect of academic success or failure. Nursing students enrolled at Saudi Arabian universities in need of MH care encounter obstacles in accessing this type of care. AIMS: The present work explores students' views and suggestions about the existing problems surrounding university students' MH and well-being support services. METHODS: Twenty students enrolled in a Master of Nursing program were recruited as research participants. Individual interviews of students' perceptions of the needs and availability of MH services during their studies provided inductive data. These data were analysed through a constructivist thematic method. FINDINGS: Three major themes and sub-themes regarding the issues and possibilities of MH services were distinguished from the research data, namely, social implications, access and opportunity, and ways to improve care. Participants emphasised a need for a university-wide approach to reforming MH services to provide students with the required support and alleviate service demand by qualified professionals. CONCLUSION: The present work underscores the need for provision of good quality MH care for university students and health promotion which strives to reduce stigma related to MH care.

Nurse views of obstacles encountered by nurses in Saudi Arabia during the provision of psychiatric care.

BACKGROUND: Nursing staff within the mental health sector are major actors in delivering healthcare. They face considerable obstacles that may hinder the provision of high-quality care to patients with mental health challenges. AIM: The current study offers a description of mental health nurses' viewpoints, insights into obstacles encountered during their experiences, and recommendations for enhancing psychiatric inpatient nursing care and achieving progress toward the goals set out by Saudi Vision 2030. METHODS: The study employed a phenomenological qualitative design. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 currently practicing mental health nurses during two focus group sessions. The inductive data produced underwent member and peer checking. Emergent themes and subthemes were extracted. RESULTS: Two main themes and related subthemes were identified. The first theme-obstacles faced by mental health nurses-was composed of the following subthemes: policy at institutions; clear job roles; low professional self-confidence and inadequate support; stressed, insecure, and unsafe; and stigmatization. The second theme-recommendations to improve the quality of mental health nursing-was composed of two subthemes: to enhance mental health awareness and improve professional skills and education. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that maintaining high-quality nursing standards within an inpatient psychiatric facility requires a consistent and accountable organizational structure, which can lead to fostering the development and improvement of relevant nursing skills through continuing education, improved awareness of mental health disorders and care within the community, and initiatives to combat the stigma of mental disorders among patients, families, and communities.

Undergraduate Nursing Student Mental Health Clinical Experiences in Saudi Arabia: Findings From a Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical experience is an important way of resolving preregistration challenges. Negative feelings toward pursuing a career in mental health nursing may be modified by well-structured practicums. AIMS: To explore nursing student perspectives of clinical practicums in mental health in Saudi Arabia for the purpose of enhancement of nurse education in mental health care. METHODS: This qualitative study used thematic analysis from semistructured focus group interviews of 20 female undergraduate nursing students. Inductive outcomes and emergent conceptual data were reviewed by investigators, doctoral prepared faculty peers, and members of the sample. NVivo 10.1 software was used to suggest conceptual groupings into themes based on inductive codes. RESULTS: The core theme-enhancement of mental health care skills-comprised four emerging subthemes, including the application of theory for clinical improvement, positive feelings, and motivation toward removal of discrimination and stigmatization, experience with apprehension, anxiety, fear, and stress, and therapeutic communication skills. DISCUSSION: Clinical placement in mental health-related practice may assist undergraduate nursing students in addressing anxiety and stress related to contacting patients, confronting stigmatizing and negative emotions, applying theoretical knowledge to clinical practice, having therapeutic communication skills, and enhancing overall professional experiences of nursing students. It is hoped that undergraduate clinical mental health placement will contribute valuable skills and viewpoints to nursing students who aim to enter professional practice in all areas and especially mental health.

Exploring the value of mindfulness for Saudi Arabian women mental health nurses.

Background: . Nurses engaged in mental health-related practice experience stress and burnout. We assessed the role of the practice of mindfulness in coping with these aspects of providing care in mental health settings. Methods: . Mindfulness as a coping method was explored using qualitative methods to illuminate its impact on practice from the perspective of mental health nursing graduate students at the College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were obtained by semi-structured interviews in focus groups of these nurses. Results: . The themes that emerged were (i) positive techniques; (ii) recognized stress; (iii) managing stress; (iv) acceptance; (v) psychological reaction; and (vi) physical responses. Conclusions: . The themes that emerged in this study confirm the stresses faced by nurses practising in mental healthcare and suggest improved coping methods.

Perceptions of Media's Contribution Toward Stigmatization of Mental Health by Saudi Arabian Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Public often obtains mental health information from mass media and Saudi Arabia is characterized by high media penetration. Fictional and nonfictional media dramatize, trivialize, and misrepresent characteristics and needs of clients who need mental health care and may create and reinforce existing stigma. This pattern of stigma may adversely affect mental health care clients, practitioners, education, and programs. Portrayal of mental illness and opportunities for care in Saudi Arabia need development. OBJECTIVE: This study examined Saudi graduate nurses' perceptions of stigma created by mass media and influence on public perceptions of mental health issues and use of these views to formulate ways to effect changes in mental health care availability and delivery. METHOD: Participants included 18 graduate practicing female mental health nurses at King Saud University School of Nursing. Qualitative data were collected using individual interviews and analyzed using NVivo 10.1 software for thematic content analysis. RESULTS: The core theme that emerged was "stigma in media," which in turn had five subthemes: (a) media portrayal, (b) mass media, (c) social stigma, and (d) mental health care services. CONCLUSION: This inquiry may be helpful in enabling development of stigma-reduction programs by shedding light on the role of mass media in forming normative behavior and attitudes toward mental illness in Saudi culture.

Exploring Experiences of Workplace Violence and Attempts to Address Violence Among Mental Health Nurses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Introduction: Workplace violence has emerged as a global phenomenon requiring immediate attention. The nursing profession is primarily affected, and the unique vulnerability of nurses to workplace violence is particularly evident in the field of mental health nursing. Aims: This study explores the experiences of mental health nurses with work-related violence and attempts to combat this violence in the context of inpatient mental health facilities in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This research comprises a qualitative exploratory study consisting of semistructured interviews with 16 participants using open-ended questions. The participants are psychiatric/mental health nurses with experience in the field, so this methodological approach facilitates a detailed investigation of their encounters with workplace violence. Results: This study reveals that nurses experience violence in accordance with two main themes and subthemes: experiences of workplace violence, the influence of violence on work settings, and efforts required to combat violence. Data show that these participants consider of prime importance access to training to increase safety through knowledge, improved communication, and protective skills, along with adequate staffing and a safe built environment. Conclusion: The research findings confirm the urgency of addressing the needs of mental health nurses in inpatient psychiatric hospitals. Policymakers in the healthcare field must be aware of the inpatient psychiatric care climate and the need for support from those who staff these areas of practice. Training in specialized knowledge and skills is required to ensure a safe work environment as well as appropriate staffing levels, and a safe built environment. These conditions may be required to recruit and retain mental health nurses capable of providing best-practice care.