Title
Attitudes Toward Mental Illness: Does a Psychiatric Nursing Course Make a Difference?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1989
Abstract
Examined whether a psychiatric nursing course was effective in favorably changing nursing students' attitudes toward mental illness. Using an abbreviated form of the Opinions About Mental Illness Scale (OMI), data were collected over a 3-yr period from 185 sophomore nursing students before entering and after completing a psychiatric nursing course. The psychiatric nursing course did make a difference: of the 5 factors in the scale, 4 changed significantly. Students became less Authoritarian, less Benevolent, more inclined toward Mental Health Ideology, and less Social Restrictive. Results have implications for nursing education and practice.
Recommended Citation
Bairan A, Farnsworth B. Attitudes toward mental illness: Does a psychiatric nursing course make a difference?. Archives Of Psychiatric Nursing. December 1989;3(6):351-357.