The relation between self-reported educational, professional, and personal experiences in mental health care and choosing to specialize in mental health for nursing students

Marit van Gijsel (Bavo Europoort Mental Health care, the Netherlands)
Koen Westen (Lecturer-Researcher at Avans University of Applied Sciences, Academy of Healthcare, Vice-President at CCAF and Senior-Researcher at Reinier van Arkel Mental Health, the Netherlands)
Pim Peeters (Lecturer-Researcher at Avans University of Applied Sciences, Academy of Healthcare, the Netherlands)

Malahayati International Journal of Nursing and Health Science
Vol 4, No 2 (2021)

Background: A large shortage of mental health nurses is noticeable worldwide. Mental health nursing has also shown to be less popular than other nursing fields at Avans University of Applied Sciences.Purpose: A better understanding of what influences choosing a minor in mental health for second-year bachelor of nursing students.Method: A quantitative survey-based method was used. The sample consisted of 177 second-year bachelor of nursing students.Results: Multiple linear regression showed four variables significantly correlated with the selection of a minor in mental health: students’ interest in mental health care, which teachers taught about mental health care,  previous internships in mental health care, and students’ close relative’s experience with mental health issues.Conclusion: The data confirm that a minor in mental health is rarely chosen. Not all topics found in previous qualitative studies were found to correlate with choosing a mental health care minor. Some questions were poorly understood and excluded from analysis. Overall effect sizes were small.