Trastornos mentales y tratamiento

Undergraduate Nursing Students' Mental Health and Psychiatric Clinical Experience and Their Career Choice in Nursing: Perspectives from the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Izibeloko O Jack-Ide, Felicia E Amiegheme and Kingsley E Ongutubor

Background: Recruiting young nurses into mental health and psychiatric nursing in Nigeria is difficult and limited. The study aimed to explore undergraduate nursing students' mental health and psychiatric clinical experience and their career choice in nursing. Methods: A cross-sectional survey in classroom settings, using a standardized instrument Attitude towards Psychiatry questionnaire (ATP), explored the attitude of undergraduate nursing students after their mental health/ psychiatric nursing clinical experiences using a chi-square test to compare their positive and negative responses. Results: 122 undergraduate students participated, of whom 90% were female and 10% male, with an overall response rates of 95.6 percent. The majority 59.8% showed positive attitude, while 40.2% showed negative attitude towards psychiatric nursing, indicating that the clinical experience provides positive experiences for some of the participants. Conclusion: Clinical experience in mental health nursing can positively influence perceptions, reduce stigma, and attract nurses to mental health and psychiatric nursing practice.