Undergraduate Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Education and Student Attitudes toward Mental Health Nursing: A Scoping Review

This scoping review examined the influence of undergraduate psychiatric mental health (PMH) nursing education on students’ attitudes, career intentions, and pathways toward PMH nursing. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, we systematically searched CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases covering 2005–2025, resulting in 26 eligible studies with a total sample of 8742 participants. The studies were conducted across diverse geographical regions, including North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, and Africa; this provided a global perspective, although uneven regional representation limited the generalizability of the results. The review, guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, synthesized findings from quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies. The identified critical educational interventions include clinical placements, theoretical courses, and simulation-based learning. The analysis revealed that well-designed educational interventions improved students’ attitudes and clinical confidence in PMH nursing. Factors influencing effectiveness included clinical placement duration, innovative teaching methods, and quality of educational experiences. Barriers to pursuing PMH nursing care include negative practicum experiences and challenging institutional environments, for example, high-acuity inpatient settings, safety concerns, and staffing constraints. Future research should explore cultural competence training in PMH nursing and investigate causal links between educational interventions and outcomes. At the same time, nursing education should evolve to accommodate the growing global demand for mental health services by promoting positive attitudes toward PMH nursing and preparing competent PMH nurses. Benefits were reported across quantitative and qualitative designs; no formal comparative analysis by design was undertaken.