Author(s):

Mohmmad K AlShammari* and Abd Alhadi Hasan

Purpose: This systematic review seeks to assess undergraduate nursing students’ attitudes and stigma beliefs towards mental illness. Design and Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed. Findings: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the results show students had poor attitudes and stigmatising beliefs towards mental illness. However, this improved when students exposed to psychiatric course and a greater improvement toward these stigmatizing attitudes was observed in clinical placements than in theory. Practical Implications: Mental-health-specific training seems to improve perceptions toward mental health. Clinical placement underpins theory, leading to a decrease in negative attitudes and stigma regarding mental health.