Attitudes of Nursing Students towards Individuals with Mental Illness before and after Attending the Mental Health Nursing Course: comparative study

Background: Psychiatry nurses are an integral component of a multidisciplinary mental health-care team. This study aims to investigate the level of attitude toward mental illness among nursing students before and after psychiatric nursing course. Method: A descriptive design was utilized in this study. Total sample was 303 nursing students the sample included all 3rd and fourth year students who did not study psychiatric nursing course 103 nursing student and 200 study psychiatric nursing in west bank university. tools were utilized to measure the variables of the study: Personal data questionnaire, attitudes toward mental health nursing. Results: nursing students who did not attend the psychiatric course reported a moderate level of attitude toward mental illness. While, the study showed that the nursing students who attended the psychiatric nursing course reported a high level of attitudes toward mental illness. The study also found that there are significant statistical differences among nursing students who have taken the psychiatric course and who have not taken the course regarding attitudes toward mental illness, when the differences were in favor of the students who have attended the psychiatric nursing course. Results showed that gender, age, place of residence, and university were not significant variables among nursing students, who did not attend the psychiatric course, while experience with someone who suffering from mental health conditions was a significant variable. Whereas, gender, age, university, and experience with someone who suffering from mental health condition were not significant variables among nursing students who attended the psychiatric course, but Place of Residence showed significant differences, in favor of students who are living in camps. Conclusions: The need for the psychiatric nursing course to be mandatory educated for nursing students and other healthcare professions. Due to its importance into providing enrich and empower information for students.