Nursing students' attitudes towards mental illness: A multi-national comparison.

Accessible Summary What is known on the subject Health professionals, including nurses, are shown to have stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness. For nursing students who are in their formative years of professional development, mental illness stigma can severely impact the care they provide. Little research has investigated multi-national comparisons of nursing students' attitudes towards mental illness. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This study shows that between countries, there were substantial differences amongst nursing students in stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness. Cultural perspectives may explain some of these differences. What are the implications for practice Regardless of location, stigmatizing attitudes are present at varying levels. Each nation can take steps to reduce these by acknowledging the presence of stigmatizing attitudes amongst nurses, educating nurses regarding the negative impacts of stigma on patient outcomes, and decrease stigmatizing attitudes by facilitating opportunities for nurses (particularly student nurses) to have direct contact with people with lived experiences of mental illness. ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Stigmatizing attitudes perpetuated by nursing professionals are a pervasive problem for people experiencing mental health issues. This global issue has detrimental consequences; inhibiting one's life chances and help-seeking behaviours. To date, few studies have compared nursing students' attitudes towards mental illness from a multi-national perspective. AIM: To compare undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards mental illness across six countries: Australia, India, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and USA. METHOD: In a cross-sectional design, data were collected from undergraduate nursing students (N = 426) using the Social Distance Scale. A one-way analysis of variance was used to compare differences between countries. RESULTS: Nursing students' attitudes to mental illness differed between countries. Social Distance Scores were highest amongst nursing students from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Students from Taiwan and India possessed moderate stigma scores. Social Distance Scores from the USA and Australia were lowest. DISCUSSION: Clear differences in stigmatizing attitudes emerged between countries; these are discussed in relation to possible cultural influences. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: It is suggested that educating nurses, combined with direct contact with people with lived experiences of mental illness, can reduce stigmatizing attitudes regardless of country, location or educational institution.

Stigma in the media: Investigating journalism students attitudes towards mental illness.

Given the profound role that media play in public opinion, there exists an ongoing necessity to understand the portrayal of mental illness by journalists. There is a plethora of studies that have examined how mental illness is portrayed in the media, but few studies have sought to understand what journalist opinions about mental illness are, and none could be found regarding journalism students' opinions. This study aimed to bridge this gap by examining journalism student's attitudes towards mental illness using the Social Distance Scale (SDS). This study adheres to STROBE guidelines for cross-sectional studies. One hundred and seventy-two undergraduate journalism students (n = 172) completed the SDS with findings suggesting that students had moderate stigmatizing attitudes, with varying degrees of stigma present depending on the social context. Positively framed reporting and constructive media coverage surrounding mental illness may be improved by shared communication and education with health professionals who specialize in mental health: mental health nurses.

The influence of a self-determination theory grounded clinical placement on nursing student's therapeutic relationship skills: A pre-test/post-test study.

For undergraduate nursing students, an integral mode of learning is their clinical placements. Learning within the clinical setting is influenced by factors such as the facilitators, peers, unit, or department the student is placed on. What is not known is the role of a social context that is grounded in Self-Determination Theory and how this influences the development of therapeutic relationship skills among undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was to examine the role of autonomy support in the professional learning of undergraduate nursing students. This study employed a two-group pre-test and post-test design, with undergraduate nursing students placed in either an autonomy-supportive group or a comparison group in an Australian context. Therapeutic relationship skills were assessed at the beginning and end of their compulsory mental health clinical placement. Participants were 210 (n = 210) Australian undergraduate nursing students. Using a tertile split, 140 students were placed into one of two groups based on their perception of autonomy support at the post-test time point. Pre- and post-test therapeutic relationship data were collected for both groups. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine whether engagement in different clinical placements would illicit significant differences in therapeutic relationship skills. Undergraduate nursing students who were engaged in the autonomy-supportive setting had significantly higher scores associated with the therapeutic relationship subscales: Positive Collaboration and Positive Clinical Input. The importance of the social context is underscored, which is strongly influenced by the educational leader, typically referred to as a nurse facilitator.

Generational differences in psychological wellbeing and preventative behaviours among nursing students during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Many nursing programmes have had to swiftly move online in response to COVID-19. Nursing students are often a heterogenous group that traverses generational boundaries. Exploring generational differences may assist in developing support systems for specific groups. This study sought to examine psychological wellbeing and preventative behaviours among nursing students from the iGeneration in comparison to older generations. METHOD: A prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken using a convenience sample of pre-registration nursing students studying at two Australian Universities, one regional and one metropolitan. About 631 pre-registration nursing students completed an online survey. RESULTS: An independent samples t-test revealed that students from the iGeneration possess higher anxiety compared to nursing students from older generations (p = .000). Compared to iGeneration participants, older generation participants had significantly higher scores for knowledge of COVID-19 (p = .015). iGeneration participants utilised social media to source information about COVID-19 far more than older generations (p = .008). iGeneration participants were significantly more concerned than older generations about the impact of COVID-19 on completing their clinical placement (p = .014). Older generations tended to have higher academic preventative behaviours, with significant mean scores for not attending university if they or others they knew had symptoms of COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Given the differences between generation groups with regard to psychological wellbeing, knowledge about COVID-19, and concerns about studying in an altered study environment, strategies should be targeted to generational groups. Anxiety negatively impacts the quality of life, educational performance and clinical practice and is experienced more frequently in the iGeneration. Therefore it is crucial for nursing educators to reflect on how they engage this generation in the online space to provide support, stability and a sense of connection. This will contribute towards ensuring a well-prepared future nursing workforce who may encounter other pandemics and isolating events. IMPACT STATEMENT: Compared with other generations, iGeneration students have a greater likelihood to experience mental health issues, isolation and insecurity. Nursing leaders and educators must be sensitive to such intergenerational differences, to ensure they are developing a skilled and productive workforce.

Australian and Indian nursing students' skills and attitudes surrounding mental illness: Preparing for a transnational nursing education collaboration.

Cultural competence is a viewed as a necessary set of skills within nursing, and there is a need for student support in this area. This is particularly important in mental health care, with two skills considered crucial for providing quality care: therapeutic relationship skills and positive attitudes. With the objective of initiating an educational collaboration between two educational institutions, this study examined Australian and Indian undergraduate nursing student's perceived therapeutic relationship skills and stigma attitudes associated with mental illness. Participants were five hundred and fifty-five (n = 555) undergraduate nursing students from two different universities in Indian and Australia. The modified version of the Scale To Assess Therapeutic Relationship (STAR-C) and the Social Distance Scale (SDS) were both used to examine student's perceived therapeutic relationship skills and stigma attitudes. Australian nursing students indicated lower levels of stigma with lower levels of self-reported therapeutic relationships skills, as compared with the Indian nursing student cohort. However, Indian nursing students indicated higher levels of stigma with higher self-reported therapeutic relationship skills. The results of this study may reflect cultural differences and meanings attached to mental illness.

Alternative mental health clinical placements: Knowledge transfer and benefits for nursing practice outside mental healthcare settings.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To explore whether nursing student's experiences at Recovery Camp have impacted their current nursing practices. BACKGROUND: Recently, there has been a move towards more holistic models of nursing care, which seek to break down barriers of stigmatisation and embrace the tenets of self-determination, to acknowledge people with lived experiences of mental illness and their ability to manage their recovery. In that regard, future health professionals such as nursing students will need to be educated in a manner that recognises the importance of lived experience. In this paper, we propose that Recovery Camp, an alternative clinical placement setting model, enhances clinical practice in multiple domains and is beneficial for both nursing practitioners and people with lived experiences of mental illness, as well as offering an effective nontraditional alternative to conventional clinical placement opportunities. METHODS: This study employed a phenomenological research design, involving individual semi-structured telephone interviews. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist was adhered to. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified from the analysis: (a) engagement, (b) understanding mental health and (c) holistic care. "I definitely look at people with mental health conditions in a different light." At Recovery Camp, participants felt that they had greater opportunities for engagement with people with lived experiences, and through this engagement, their preconceptions of mental illness began to change. CONCLUSIONS: Recovery Camp may have facilitated the transfer of knowledge that is more person-centred among nursing students, consequently impacting their current nursing practices. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses should be equipped with mental health skills regardless of their career trajectory. While Recovery Camp represents a promising approach to facilitate knowledge transfer, further investigation will be required to determine which other factors are instrumental. This approach may have wider implications for nursing education.

Expert by Experience Involvement in Mental Health Research: Developing a Wellbeing Brochure for People with Lived Experiences of Mental Illness.

This is a process paper that describes the development of a wellbeing brochure, shared between university researchers, a consumer research advocate, and fully informed by people who are living with mental illness (experts by experience). The purpose of this brochure was to provide strategies for maintaining wellbeing for EBEs, after attending a psychosocial intervention. Brochure development was guided by a mixed-methods research design, using a survey and focus group. The findings illustrate five key themes in EBEs strategies for maintaining wellbeing: good sleep hygiene, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, relaxation techniques and social support. This process paper demonstrates how collaborating with experts by experience represents a valuable approach for developing mental health research and resources.