Engaging in research and using evidence based practice are essential for mental health nurses to provide quality nursing care to consumers and families. This paper reports on a Delphi study that identified the top ten mental health nursing research priorities at one area health service in Australia servicing a population of 840,000 people. Initially 390 research questions were identified by nurses and these were then reduced to 56 broader questions. Finally, the top ten questions were ranked in order of importance. The priority questions were clinically and professionally focused and included research into the delivery and organisation of mental health services and the need to design and evaluate new practice paradigms for nurses in the primary care setting. The mental health knowledge and skill set of graduates from Australian comprehensive nursing programs along with improved recruitment and retention of graduates in mental health were also identified priority areas for research.

Purpose This study aimed to explore the associated factors of stigma towards people with mental illness among Omani school and university students. Design and Method A cross‐sectional study among 371 school and university students with a multivariable linear regression model to identify the associated factors of personal and perceptions of stigma. Results Male students, those with highly educated mothers, have high monthly income, higher mental health knowledge, employed fathers, and received focused education on mental illness showed fewer stigmatizing attitudes. Implications for Practice Enhancing the knowledge about mental illness among school and university students and their families can play a significant role in reversing stigma.

Background Resilience has a paramount role in dealing with different life stressors and has a great impact on mental health. Aim To assess the level of resilience among university students and explore the relation between resilience and a number of variables including psychological well-being, self-esteem and physical health. Methods A cross-sectional design was utilized. Data was collected from 676 university students. Students were required to complete a demographic sheet, Brief Resilience Scale, World Health Organization Well-Being Index, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a physical health survey. Results Overall, less than half of the participants have reported low levels of resilience (45.3%; n = 306). Regular sleep, perceived stress, WHO well-being index, self-esteem, and having a cumulative GPA of more than two, were factors that significantly predicted positive resilience in multivariate analysis. Conclusion Resilience is a necessary skill among university students that requires more academic attention. Factors predicting positive resilience should be considered when implementing mental health promotion programs.

Background What it means to live with dementia is changing. Autonomy, independence and continued community involvement are now recognised goals. As a result, new initiatives are required to support people with dementia to sustain their quality of life, update community understanding and reflect resultant change in community attitudes. Measuring the impact of such initiatives can help determine the extent of their success, inform needs for further intervention and, ultimately, shape policy. Objective To discover – or, if this could not be achieved, develop – a questionnaire measuring community attitudes towards people with dementia reflecting these newly recognised goals in terms of both content and expression. Methods A four-stage approach was used in this research: a scoping review of the literature, questionnaire development and expert review, questionnaire piloting, including with people living with dementia and their families, and preliminary psychometric testing. Results The review failed to retrieve a suitable existing questionnaire. A ten-item questionnaire, the Dementia Community Attitudes Questionnaire was developed, content validity was established by expert review and piloting led to refinements. Exploratory factor analysis ( N = 92) generated an interpretable three-factor solution. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for Factor 1, Engagement, was good (0.855); for Factor 2, Challenges, and Factor 3, Decision-Making, reliability was acceptable (0.785 and 0.709, respectively). Conclusion Supporting people with dementia to sustain their quality of life requires new initiatives and suitable measures to evaluate their impact. The Dementia Community Attitudes Questionnaire was developed with input from people with dementia, their families, and relevant experts. Items reflect current opportunities for people with dementia to retain their independence, autonomy and community engagement for as long as possible. Following further psychometric testing, this new questionnaire may be useful to evaluate such initiatives.

Aim The study aimed to measure and describe the mental health impact of COVID‐19 on Australian pre‐registration nursing students. Background The COVID ‐19 pandemic has had a swift and significant impact on nursing students across the globe. The pandemic was the catalyst for the closure of schools and universities across many countries. This necessary measure caused additional stressors for many students, including nursing students, leading to uncertainty and anxiety. There is limited evidence available to identify the mental health impact of COVID‐19 on Australian pre‐registration nursing students currently. Design A cross‐sectional study was conducted across 12 Australian universities. Methods Using an anonymous, online survey students provided demographic data and self‐reported their stress, anxiety, resilience, coping strategies, mental health and exposure to COVID‐19. Students' stress, anxiety, resilience, coping strategies and mental health were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale‐Revised, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Brief Cope and the DASS‐21. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether stress, anxiety, resilience and coping strategies explained variance in mental health impact. Ethical Approval was obtained from the University of New England Human Research Ethics Committee (No: HE20‐188). All participating universities obtained reciprocal approval. Results Of the 516 students who completed the survey over half ( n = 300, 58.1%) reported mental health concerns and most students ( n = 469, 90.9%) reported being impacted by COVID‐19. Close to half of students ( n = 255, 49.4%) reported signs of post‐traumatic stress disorder. Mental health impact was influenced by students' year level and history of mental health issues, where a history of mental health and a higher year level were both associated with greater mental health impacts. Students experienced considerable disruption to their learning due to COVID‐19 restrictions which exacerbated students' distress and anxiety. Students coped with COVID‐19 through focusing on their problems and using strategies to regulate their emotions and adapt to stressors. Conclusion The COVID‐19 pandemic has considerably impacted pre‐registration nursing students' mental health. Strategies to support nursing students manage their mental health are vital to assist them through the ongoing pandemic and safeguard the recruitment and retention of the future nursing workforce. Impact statement This study adds an Australian understanding to the international evidence that indicates student nurses experienced a range of negative psychosocial outcomes during COVID‐19. In this study, we found that students with a pre‐existing menta...