The effect of a peer education program on nursing students' beliefs toward mental illnesses and their career choices

The integration and associated challenges of Mental Health Competencies in Undergraduate Nursing Education: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Educational institutions play a pivotal role in meeting healthcare needs by educating future professional nurses and other healthcare professionals. However, nursing education encounters challenges such as insufficient competencies among undergraduates and a gap in theory-practice integration in the curriculum. This scoping review aimed to map out the existing literature on integrating Mental Health Competencies in undergraduate Nursing Education and associated challenges.

METHODS

The electronic databases of CINAHL, MedLine "PubMed", Scopus, Science Direct, and Emerald Insight were searched for peer-reviewed articles on the subject, utilizing English search terms. Two authors independently reviewed the identified articles that met the inclusion criteria. The screening and selection process was conducted in the following phases: Firstly, the search results were imported into EPPI reviewer software, and duplicates were removed using the software's built-in function. Secondly, careful screening of the titles and abstracts of all imported studies was followed based on the inclusion criteria. Thirdly, the reference list of the identified articles was screened to foster a comprehensive coverage of evidence. Full-text screening was conducted for all the identified articles, and the research team carefully scrutinized this process.

RESULTS

The initial literature search generated 717 articles. Upon identification and careful screening, 17 eligible articles met our inclusion criteria. Two key themes were reported: Integrating Mental Health Competencies in Undergraduate Nursing Education and Challenges to integrating Mental Health Competencies in undergraduate Nursing Education.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this scoping review indicated that various efforts are being made toward integrating mental health nursing into undergraduate nursing education. However, these efforts are constantly confronted by different challenges, such as societal stigma, patient behaviours, unequal student contributions in group work activities, and difficulties in understanding patients' symptoms. Meaningful efforts should be made towards addressing these challenges to prepare future nurses with the necessary mental health competence.

The influencing factors of stigma towards people with mental illness among nursing students: a mixed-method systematic review

The stigma of nursing students towards people with mental illness (PMI) creates significant barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and recovery for those with PMI. It can also have a significant impact on the future career choices of nursing students in the field of psychiatry. Current research has found various influencing factors, including personal characteristics and educational influences. However, a comprehensive analysis that encompasses all aspects is lacking. The aim of the study was to conduct a convergent mixed-method systematic review to synthesize the influencing factors of the stigma of nursing students towards PMI according to Framework Integrating Normative Influences on Stigma (FINIS) at micro, meso, and macro levels. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO were searched from 1990 to 31 December 2023. The reference lists of the included literature were further checked to identify potentially relevant articles. Two authors independently screened all titles, abstracts, and full-text articles and extracted data. Study quality was assessed by two authors using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). A total of 4865 articles were initially retrieved, and 73 of these articles were included. The results suggested that the stigma towards PMI by nursing students was influenced by micro, meso and macro levels. At each FINIS level, the most frequent influencing factors are personal characteristics, the treatment system and media images. Numerous interconnected factors exert an influence on the stigma towards PMI among nursing students. Our research can be used to identify barriers and facilitators to nursing students' stigma towards PMI and to provide supporting information for interventions designed to reduce this stigma.

Analyzing the relationship between the personality traits of nursing students and their attitudes toward people with mental illnesses

PURPOSE

The aim is to analyze the relationship between the personality traits of nursing students and their attitudes toward people with mental illnesses.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The cross-sectional study constituted of 281 students. The Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill Scale and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory were used.

FINDINGS

The students who have mental illnesses or in their families showed a higher goodwill score. The openness to experience subscale was correlated with conscientiousness, extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Organizing educational programs for nursing students focusing on developing a positive attitude toward people with mental illnesses is crucial.