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Addressing nursing students' stigmatizing beliefs toward mental illness
1Salisbury University Depatment of Nursing, 1101 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21801, USA. dawebster@salisbury.edu
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
|October 20, 2009
Summary
This study used a creative reflective project to help nursing students understand mental illness. The project reduced stigmatizing beliefs and fostered empathy in students working with mental health clients.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Mental Health Studies
- Psychology
Background:
- Addressing nursing students' stigmatizing beliefs towards individuals with mental illness is crucial for effective patient care.
- Nurse educators require innovative teaching strategies to combat stigma in mental health nursing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a creative reflective learning project designed to encourage nursing students to explore their feelings about working with mental illness clients.
- To examine how this project helps students address stigma and develop empathy.
- To demonstrate the impact of the project on students' perceptions of mental illness.
Main Methods:
- Nursing students participated in a 4-week clinical experience with a client with a mental illness.
- Students maintained reflective journals to explore their assumptions about mental illness.
- Students created individual projects to visually represent their understanding of the client's experience with mental illness.
Main Results:
- The reflective journals and creative projects provided insights into students' evolving views on mental illness.
- Students' personal reflections and project depictions illustrated a reduction in stigmatizing beliefs.
- The experiential learning fostered a greater sense of empathy among nursing students.
Conclusions:
- Creative reflective learning projects are effective in challenging nursing students' stigmatizing beliefs about mental illness.
- This pedagogical approach facilitates the development of empathy and a more nuanced understanding of mental health conditions.
- Implementing such projects is vital for preparing compassionate and effective mental health nurses.
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