Integrated Mental Health Nursing Program: Effects on Stigma, Cognitive Flexibility, and Clinical Readiness

This quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest study aims to evaluate the effect of an Integrated Mental Health Nursing Educational Program on stigma, cognitive flexibility, and clinical readiness among undergraduate nursing students. The study will be conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University, Egypt, among students enrolled in the psychiatric nursing course during the second clinical rotation of the 2025-2026 academic year. The intervention consists of a structured 6-week educational program that includes teaching sessions, interactive discussions, reflective exercises, case-based learning, and guided clinical experiences. The program is designed to improve mental health awareness, reduce stigma toward people with mental illness, enhance cognitive flexibility, and strengthen students' readiness for psychiatric nursing practice. Outcome measures will be assessed before and after the intervention using validated tools: the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC-15), the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and the Mental Health Nursing Clinical Confidence Scale (MHNCCS). The findings may support the integration of structured mental health nursing education into undergraduate nursing curricula to improve students' attitudes, thinking skills, and clinical preparedness.

Inclusion Criteria: * Undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the psychiatric nursing course at the Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University * Students assigned to the second clinical rotation during the second semester of the 2025-2026 academic year * Students who have not previously studied psychiatric nursing * Students with no prior clinical exposure to psychiatric patients * Students who are willing to participate and provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Students who have previously studied psychiatric nursing * Students with prior experience caring for psychiatric patients in hospital or clinical settings * Students who refuse to participate * Students who do not complete the pre-test or post-test assessments