How does Chinese culture influence nursing students' perceptions of schizophrenia? an exploratory qualitative study

Stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness are common among nursing students, which can create barriers to treatment and recovery for people with schizophrenia. Chinese culture, which emphasizes face-saving and Confucianism, differs from Western culture in its understanding of stigma. This results in different approaches to dealing with stigma, leading to diverse outcomes. This study aims to explore how Chinese culture influences nursing students' perceptions of schizophrenia. A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted for this study. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit nursing students between July 25, 2022, and September 30, 2022 from a hospital in mainland China. Online focus group interviews were conducted with nursing students. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis with NVivo 12. Data collection and analysis were conducted concurrently. Thirty nursing students participated in the focus group interviews, which ranged from 74 to 102 min in duration. The participants were aged 19 to 22 years, and included 25 females and five males. Five themes were derived from the interviews: knowledge gaps regarding schizophrenia; misconceptions about schizophrenia, impact of cultural perceptions on attitudes towards schizophrenia, nursing students' intentional behavior toward schizophrenia, and pity and awareness of injustice towards people with schizophrenia. Cultural factors influencing nursing students' perspectives on schizophrenia include beliefs and stigma surrounding mental illness, family and community attitudes, religious interpretations, and exposure to or engagement with mental health services. These factors should be seriously considered when developing interventions to decrease nursing students' stigma toward individuals with schizophrenia.Clinical trial number Not applicable.