Developing more positive attitudes towards mental health nursing in undergraduate students: part 1 – does more theory help?

Negative attitudes towards mental illness and the mental health nursing profession have deterred many undergraduate nursing students from considering this area as an attractive career option. Positive clinical experience has been identified as the most important factor in producing more favourable attitudes. While the quantity of theory is identified as important, its impact on attitudes has not been examined through research. This study compared two groups of students undertaking different numbers of theoretical and clinical hours in mental health nursing to determine if this increase has an impact on nursing students' attitudes. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to the total population of students following completion of the theoretical component of the programme but prior to clinical experience. The questionnaire was designed to assess: (1) nursing student's preparedness for and attitudes towards the mental health field; (2) consumers of mental health services; and (3) the students' career preferences. This first paper in a two-part series examines the impact of theoretical hours and suggests that while other attitudes are fairly similar between the two groups, the group exposed to more theory exhibited significantly more positive attitudes towards psychiatric nursing as a career.