Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward and Empathy for Patients With Substance Use Disorder Following Mentorship

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have shown that nurses have negative attitudes toward caring for patients with substance use disorder (SUD); these negative attitudes also have been noted with nursing students. This study examined nursing students' attitudes toward and empathy for patients with SUD to determine whether there were differences across practice settings. Method: Fifty-three students were surveyed before and after a 120-hour mentor-ship practicum; 25 students participated in focus groups. Results: Students' empathy scores improved significantly across all practice settings, and students' attitudes improved significantly in all settings except maternal child health. Qualitative analysis revealed themes related to perceived lack of educational preparation, observing generational differences in nursing care, transitioning from fear to empathy, familial exposure, and feelings of helplessness and blame. Conclusion: Findings support the need for educational interventions in both academic and professional practice settings. [ J Nurs Educ . 2020;59(3):149–153.]

Undergraduate nursing student knowledge and attitudes of healthcare consumers with problematic alcohol and other drug use: A scoping review

“…2020; Puskar et al . 2013; Schuler & Horowitz 2020; de Vargas 2013). These studies show mixed results, mostly improving attitudes towards people who use AOD but reporting variable increases in knowledge and skill.…”

“…These studies show mixed results, mostly improving attitudes towards people who use AOD but reporting variable increases in knowledge and skill. Therapeutic commitment towards people who use AOD was found to be influenced by nursing pathways taken and or the type of substance used; for example, incorporating AOD into a mental health pathway has shown a positive factor for the development of therapeutic relations, whereas students in a maternal health setting show less empathy towards mothers who use AOD after interventions (Schuler & Horowitz 2020).…”

“…Simulated teaching sessions results showed no significant difference in student empathy scores, whereas students’ personal experiences, exposure to individuals with lived experience, and reflective sessions increased empathy towards healthcare consumers with AOD use problems (Patterson et al . 2020; Schuler & Horowitz 2020).…”

“…2017; Patterson et al . 2020; Schuler & Horowitz 2020). These qualitative approaches included focus groups using structured questions (Patterson et al .…”

“…These qualitative approaches included focus groups using structured questions (Patterson et al . 2020; Schuler & Horowitz 2020), and reflective questions administered as part of a survey (Nash et al . 2017).…”