Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitude Toward People with Mental Illness in the United Arab Emirates

Background Society often holds stigmas and negative attitudes toward people with mental illness (PMI), potentially affecting the quality of care provided by nursing students. However, there is a piecemeal of research to examine the attitude of nursing students toward PMI in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Objective The study aims to explore UAE nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding PMI. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational survey design was employed to assess their knowledge and attitudes of nursing students (n = 310) toward PMI. Data were collected using the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule and Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill questionnaire, which includes four subscales: authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community mental health ideology (CMHI). Results Nursing students possessed a moderate level of knowledge on PMI (mean [M]= 21.7, standard deviation [SD] = 3.9), high levels of authoritarianism (M = 13.7, SD = 3.5), and benevolence (M = 13.2, SD = 4.8). A significant correlation was found between the number of academic years and both authoritarianism (p=0.017) and benevolence (p=0.006), indicating that students’ attitudes evolve as they progress through their nursing education. In addition, elevated scores were reported for social restrictiveness (M = 18.0, SD = 3.4) and CMHI (M = 15.7, SD = 4.2), reflecting mixed perceptions regarding the social integration of PMI. Conclusion The study highlights the importance of implementing targeted educational and clinical interventions to address stigmatizing attitudes toward PMI among nursing students in the UAE. Clinical placements in mental health settings are valuable to provide students with direct exposure to PMI, addressing negative stereotypes and encouraging more positive attitudes.