The training undergraduate nursing students receive, both in terms of theoretical input and clinical practice, may help to instil a less stigmatising perception of mental health. To analyse the perceived evolution of attitudes and expected behaviours, a longitudinal repeated measures study was conducted in a population of student nurses during their undergraduate mental health education. The Mental Illness: Clinicians’ Attitudes Scale, a Scale for measuring attitudes to the mentally ill among future Health workers, and the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale were completed. A mixed linear model was used to assess the effect of each factor in the questionnaires before and after the various stages of the students’ training in mental health. The overall effect of each factor was assessed by testing the interaction between factor and group, both with and without adjustment with the Social Desirability Scale. The results showed that the clinical practice stage, due to the proximity to care for people with mental health problems, improves attitudes and behaviours towards mental health in students who have not had mental health problems, and also in younger students. In conclusion, integrated, holistic training during the period of clinical practice was associated with positive changes in the attitudes and intended behaviour.

Purpose This study analyses the evolution of attitudes of nursing students towards mental health, paying particular attention to the influence of social desirability. Design and Methods Prospective longitudinal repeated-measures study in a sample of nursing students who completed the Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness scale and The Social Desirability Scale. Findings After their training, and after adjusting for social desirability, students of female gender recognized attitudes that foster humanistic values than their male counterparts. However, attitudes of restrictiveness and authoritarianism continued to be manifested significantly when the students themselves had mental health problems (MHPs), had had previous training, or were older. Practice Implications University courses should continue to foster attitudes of acceptance and destigmatization of people with MHPs, through responses that value authenticity.