ATTITUDEAND PERCEPTION TOWARDS PSYCHIATRIC NURSING AMONG NURSING STUDENTS IN MADONNA UNIVERSITY ELELE, RIVERS STATE
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to assess the attitude and perception towards psychiatric nursing among nursing students in Madonna University Elele, Rivers State. Three specific objectives and research questions guided the study. The study made use of nursing students in their fourth and fifth year of study as respondents for the study. The researcher used a descriptive research design for this study and a self-structured questionnaire to collect data used for analysis in the study. Data obtained were described and analyzed using data analysis tool such as frequency distribution tables and percentages. The sample size for this study was 180. Findings demonstrated the factors that influence the nursing students’ attitude towards psychiatric nursing X = 3.8. Majority of the respondents agreed that psychiatric patients are entitled to the same attention in the health centre
as are general patients X =2.25, mental hospitals are the only places for people with mental illness
to be treated X =4.00, psychiatric patients are usually dangerous X =4.00. However, the respondents agreed that their perception towards psychiatric nursing X=4.2 majority of the
respondents agreed that it is hard to talk to a psychiatric patient X = 4.79 most of the nursing students were comfortable with attending to psychiatric patients X = 4.72, have referred people
with mental illness X = 4.44 and received feedback on the patients they referred X = 4.45. In conclusion, the implication of this study is on nursing practice and for the nursing educators who need to focus training to correct negative attitudes and perception while providing care for psychiatric patients among the students. The study recommended more training and intervention on the importance of nursing care for psychiatric patients to be carried out by nursing educators for the nursing students.
Keywords: attitude, perception, psychiatric nursing, nursing students
Full-Text Access Notice
In accordance with the NERD Policy on promoting peer-reviewed publication, public access to the full text of a project, thesis or dissertation is restricted for three years, allowing the author and supervisors sufficient time to pursue peer-reviewed publication.
During this period, researchers with legitimate academic or research purposes may request authorisation directly from the author to enable NERD to release the indexed full texts of the work using the form below.