Factors influencing higher vocational nursing students’ mental health during internships: a cross-sectional study

24.7% of the nursing interns had depression problems, 26.5% had anxiety problems, and 22.8% felt great pressure. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that internship in a tertiary grade A hospital and male students were associated with an increased risk of psychological problems (OR > 1). However, often or sometimes feeling cared for during internship, liking for the nursing profession, thinking that the nursing profession was respected, and high self-efficacy were associated with reduced risk of psychological problems (OR < 1). Conclusions: Hospital, gender, liking for the nursing profession, thinking that the nursing profession was respected, feeling cared for during internship and self-efficacy were all significantly associated with the mental health of higher vocational nursing students during internship. These findings provide a basis for the development of targeted mental health interventions to help improve the mental health of nursing students.