Do academic advising and levels of support affect nursing students' mental health? A cross‐sectional study

Aim The current study aimed to identify the association between social support, academic advising and mental health disorders among nursing students. Background Stress and workload can trigger multiple mental health disorders, especially for nursing students. Thus, academic advising and counselling help support students with academic and mental health problems. Design This cross‐sectional study utilized online questionnaires in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Methods Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐4) and the Student Academic Advising and Counseling Survey (SAACS) were utilized to measure social support, depression and anxiety and evaluation of academic advising and counselling services, respectively. Results The study included 1134 nursing students (mean age of 20.3 years). Students with higher academic advising satisfaction were 37% less likely to experience depression (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.46–0.85) and mental disorders (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.50–0.94). Moderate family social support was associated with lower depression (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37–0.93) and mental disorders (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33–0.92). Conclusion Academic advising and social support can mitigate mental health disorders among nursing students. These findings will help nurses and post‐secondary providers develop strategies to support nursing students during difficult times.