Purpose: To investigate the effects of the psychiatric nursing course on students' beliefs toward mental illness and psychiatric nursing perceptions.
Design and methods: This experimental study was carried out with 80 students enrolled for the psychiatric nursing course.
Findings: The mean score of the Beliefs toward Mental Illness Scale decreased, and the mean score of the Psychiatric Nursing Perception Scale increased after the course. The difference between the measurements was statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Practice implications: This study shows that psychiatric nursing course is effective in decreasing students' negative beliefs toward mental illness and increasing positive psychiatric nursing perceptions. Students' attitudes about mental illness and psychiatric nursing should be determined from the very first year of their education, and their negative beliefs should be intervened with.
Keywords: beliefs toward mental illness; psychiatric nursing education; psychiatric nursing perceptions.
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