Background: Negative attitudes toward mental disorders are not only an interpersonal issue but also a concern of mental health care. Given that nursing students are future health care providers, it is pivotal to improve their attitudes toward individuals with mental disorders prior to their transition into clinical practice. However, research on nursing students' attitudes in relation to schizophrenia in Taiwan remains unexplored.
Aim: The aim of this article is to examine the correlates of attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia among Taiwanese undergraduate nursing students.
Method: A descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study was adopted. Self-reported questionnaires were conducted with a convenience sample of 306 Taiwanese undergraduate nursing students. Descriptive statistics, independent t tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlations, and a stepwise regression analysis were performed.
Results: Nursing students expressed negative attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia. Nursing students, who were female, had contact with individuals with mental disorders, and expressed greater empathy and personality traits held more favorable attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia. The study found that empathy, personality traits, and academic year were the most crucial attributes contributing to attitudes of nursing students toward individuals with schizophrenia.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that nursing education programs with empathy- and personality-tailored modules in mental health are pivotal to provide humanistic approaches with supportive attitudes regarding schizophrenia.
Keywords: attitudes toward schizophrenia; empathy; nursing students; personality traits.