Attitudes towards mental illness: effect of integration of mental health concepts into a postbasic nursing degree...

A 2-year assessment of the effect of integrating mental health concepts into a postbasic nursing degree programme was done with two classes of students who had minimal psychiatric preparation in their diploma programme. These two groups of students were studied as they progressed from first to second year and from second to third year at the 3-year postbasic nursing degree programme at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. A questionnaire on Opinion about Mental Illness (OMI Scale) was used to note if there was any change in the five attitudinal factors measured, as these students progressed from one class to the next. Results show changes in both groups in terms of their authoritarianism and social restrictiveness.