Evaluating the influence of a psychiatry training program on nursing students' attitudes towards mentally ill

Mental disorders are a global concern, affecting millions worldwide. Despite effective therapies, societal stigma toward mental illness persists, hindering access to healthcare and perpetuating negative stereotypes. These prejudiced attitudes are also present in nursing professionals and impact the quality of care provided by them. This study aimed to explore the impact of a month-long residential psychiatry training program on the attitudes of nursing undergraduate students toward mental illness.

This was a longitudinal study with pre-post design conducted at a government mental health hospital and training institute in north India using convenient sampling. The Community Attitude Towards Mental Illness (CAMI) Scale, which has subscales of Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restrictiveness, and Community Mental Health Ideology was used to measure the attitudes towards the mentally ill in nursing students before and after the training program. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data while paired t-tests and McNemar test were used for analysis.

A total of 970 students were included. A significant improvement in Social Restrictiveness, Community Mental Health Ideology, and the total CAMI score was noted post-training (P < 0.001 for each) while changes in Authoritarianism (P = 0.87) and Benevolence (P = 0.1) were nonsignificant but positive. Furthermore, increased willingness to work in psychiatry wards post-training was found, indicating a positive influence on career choices (P < 0.001).

The results emphasize the effectiveness of combining theoretical knowledge with real-life exposure in mental health nursing. Despite limitations, like a single-center study and no control group, the study's pre-post design and large sample size contribute valuable insights.