J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs.  2020 Dec;29(4):285-295. 10.12934/jkpmhn.2020.29.4.285.

Nursing Students' Perception of Mental Disorders in the Clinical Practice of Psychiatric Nursing

• KMID: 2512368
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12934/jkpmhn.2020.29.4.285

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore nursing students’ perception of mental disorders in psychiatric clinical nursing.
Methods
This qualitative study used semi-structured individual interviews to understand the nursing students’ perspectives on mental disorders. There were 12 Korean nursing student participants who had completed 90 hours of clinical practice in psychiatric nursing over 10 days. The data was collected and analyzed by inductive content analysis.
Results
The findings consisted of four themes and ten subthemes. The nursing students’ perspectives classified mental disorders as being “dangerous”, “abnormal”, “not concerned”, and “not much different from others”.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that nursing instructors and on-site staff, including psychiatric nurses, need to understand nursing students’ perspectives of mental disorders in their first psychiatric nursing practice. The understanding of nursing students’ perception towards mental disorders may be effective in improving interaction with the nursing students and supporting them through clinical teaching and guidance.