Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40905455›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of mental health nursing2025

Exploring Undergraduate Nursing Students' Understandings of Mental Health: From Fear and Stigma to Holistic Understanding.

Sinead Barry, Louise Ward, Ruby Walter

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of mental health nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sinead BarryRMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2163-813X
Louise WardSouthern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5253-6745
Ruby WalterRMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5397-3496

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This research explored the variation in undergraduate nursing students' understandings of mental health (MH) at a Melbourne metropolitan university. Using phenomenography, a qualitative research methodology, the study involved interviewing 19 students at different stages of a 3-year Bachelor of Nursing or Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery degree. The research was undertaken as part of a PhD study undertaken between 2016 and 2020. The findings revealed seven distinct categories of understanding of MH, ranging from fear-driven misconceptions of mental health disorder (MHD) to a holistic perspective recognising MH on a spectrum potentially fluctuating throughout an individual's lifespan. This research revealed an improvement in nursing students' understanding of MH with initial responses marked by fear and anxiety rooted in cultural beliefs and personal safety concerns. As understanding developed, students focused on physical symptoms and causality, sometimes attributing MHDs to personal misfortune or choice. The most advanced level demonstrated a sophisticated, integrated view recognising the interconnectedness of mental and physical health. These findings highlight the challenges students face in understanding MH and the critical need to address misconceptions within nursing curricula. The study recognises the importance of innovative educational strategies to enhance MH literacy among nursing students. The findings contribute valuable insights into teaching practices and the development of targeted educational interventions in MH nursing education.

Indexed as

FearMental DisordersMental HealthSocial StigmaStudents, NursingAdultEducation, Nursing, BaccalaureateFemaleHumansMaleQualitative ResearchYoung Adultmental healthnursingphenomenographystudentunderstanding

Identifiers

PMID40905455
PMCPMC12410041

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.