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NCT Number: NCT06808893

The Effects of Documentary and Psychiatric Interviewing Methods in Psychiatric Nursing Education

Negative attitudes towards mental illnesses are an important problem that negatively affects both the social lives of individuals and the effectiveness of health services. Addressing these prejudices, developing empathy and promoting a patient-centred care approach are key goals that can be achieved through clinical experiences and structured educational programmes for nursing students. This single-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial aims to examine the effects of documentaries and psychiatric interviews on nursing students' implicit associations, discriminatory attitudes and empathy skills towards mental illnesses. Within the scope of the study, nursing students working in a psychiatric ward will be divided into two groups: one group will work with documentaries including psychiatric interviews and patient narratives, while the other group will only conduct psychiatric interviews. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the Attitudes Towards Mental Patients Scale will be used to assess students' implicit associations and attitudes towards psychiatric patients, and the Jefferson Empathy Scale will assess their level of empathy. Data analysis will be performed using SPSS 25.0 software. Given the widespread stigmatisation of psychiatric patients, this study is expected to make a significant contribution to improving the quality of care provided by nursing students in psychiatric settings.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Mental Disorder Behavior Bias, Implicit Implicit Association Test Mental Disorders Nursing Education Prejudice Social Behavior Stigma of Mental Illness

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Sakarya University

Sakarya, 54050, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Discrimination and stigmatization towards psychiatric patients remain significant challenges, negatively impacting both individuals' quality of life and their access to healthcare services. These attitudes are not limited to the general public but are also observed among healthcare professionals, including nursing students. Such biases can affect the quality of care provided to psychiatric patients, as nursing students often perceive these individuals as aggressive or dangerous, leading to fear and hesitation in interacting with them. However, studies have shown that clinical placements and mental health education programs can reduce these negative attitudes by fostering empathy and understanding, supporting the development of a patient-centered care approach.

Psychiatric interviews and patient-centered documentaries are effective educational tools to address stigmatization and enhance empathy. Psychiatric interviews provide nursing students with structured opportunities to understand patients' biopsychosocial history, mental health needs, and coping strategies, fostering therapeutic communication skills. Similarly, documentaries featuring personal narratives of psychiatric patients help challenge stereotypes, promote empathy, and deepen students' understanding of mental illnesses. Research shows that combining such methods with academic content, concept mapping, and short films can significantly reduce stigmatization, improve social attitudes, and encourage inclusive practices in healthcare.

This study investigates how psychiatric nursing students' prejudices, discriminatory attitudes, and empathy skills towards mental illnesses can be improved through the use of psychiatric interviews and documentaries. By integrating these innovative approaches into nursing education, the study aims to reduce stigmatization, enhance empathy, and equip future healthcare professionals with the skills necessary to provide inclusive, high-quality care to psychiatric patients. This initiative ultimately seeks to contribute to the long-term improvement of mental health services and patient outcomes.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

(1) being a third-year undergraduate student; (2) doing clinical practice in an adult inpatient psychiatric ward; (3) showing normal cognitive functions; (4) having the ability to make sense of visual materials

Exclusion criteria

(1) being in clinical practice in community mental health centers and addiction treatment centers; (2) being in clinical practice in special education institutions; (3) having 80% or more absenteeism from clinical practice in adult inpatient psychiatric ward; (4) having 75% or more absenteeism from mental health and psychiatric nursing course; (5) having a psychiatric diagnosis and receiving active treatment

Treatment and study plan

Psychiatric interview and documentary

Other

Nursing students who interview psychiatric patients will be provided with an "Interaction Form" to systematically evaluate and record their interviews. This form consists of the following columns: date of interview, duration of interview, duration of interview, verbal/non-verbal statements of the nurse and patient, effective communication technique and evaluation. The duration of the interview is expected to be between 30 and 45 minutes. Another component of the combination is the documentary "Us, You, Them" prepared by the Federation of Schizophrenia Associations of Turkey, which deals with the life stories of schizophrenia patients and lasts approximately 56 minutes.

Psychiatric interview

Other

Nursing students who interview psychiatric patients will be provided with an "Interaction Form" to systematically evaluate and record their interviews. This form consists of the following columns: date of interview, duration of interview, duration of interview, verbal/non-verbal statements of the nurse and patient, effective communication technique and evaluation. The duration of the interview is expected to be between 30 and 45 minutes.

Primary outcomes

  1. The Implicit Association Test (IAT)

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after 3 psychiatric interviews and documentary for the experimental group and after 3 psychiatric interviews for the control group

    The Implicit Association Test (IAT), part of Harvard University's Project Implicit, is designed to measure whether psychiatric patients are perceived as dangerous. This test aims to reveal associations that individuals have at an automatic and unconscious level that they do not consciously express. This test, which is especially used for stigmatization studies related to mental health, implicitly measures how dangerous or harmless the participants find psychiatric patients. It examines how quickly participants mentally associate psychiatric patients with positive or negative concepts such as danger or trust. The concepts that are matched faster reflect the implicit attitudes of the person, revealing their unconscious perceptions towards individuals with mental illness.

  2. The Attitudes Towards Mental Patients Scale

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after 3 psychiatric interviews and documentary for the experimental group and after 3 psychiatric interviews for the control group

    The Attitude Towards Mental Patients Scale, developed by Sedat Işıklı in 1998, was prepared to measure a specific psychological construct. The scale consists of 22 items and includes two factors: 'short-term relationships' and 'long-term relationships'. The short-term relationship factors include items 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, and 22. These items reflect attitudes towards shorter-term social relationships in general and towards situations that do not threaten the respondent's personal space. The Long-Term Relationships Factor includes items 1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 19 and assesses attitudes towards longer-term and closer relationships. The scale is scored on a 5-point Likert scale: 5=Strongly agree, 4=Agree, 3=No opinion, 2=Disagree, and 1=Strongly disagree. High scores indicate a positive attitude.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Jefferson Empathy Scale

    Time frame: Within 24 hours after 3 psychiatric interviews and documentary for the experimental group and after 3 psychiatric interviews for the control group

    The original form of the scale was developed by Hojat et al. in 2001 to measure the empathy level of health professionals in patient care. The adaptation study of the scale into Turkish was conducted by Yanık and Saygılı in 2014. The scale, which consists of a total of 20 items and three sub-dimensions, is a 7-point Likert type. Participants rate the level of empathy between 1 (strongly disagree) and 7 (strongly agree).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sakarya University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effects of Documentary and Psychiatric Interviewing Methods on Empathy, Attitude and Implicit Association in Psychiatric Nursing Education: A Randomized Controlled Study

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Feb 5, 2025
Registry last updated
Feb 5, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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