This study examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among 220 first year undergraduate university students in Ireland. Data were collected using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Suicidal Behaviours Questionnaire. Findings indicated that 59% of participants experienced depressive symptoms and 28.5% had suicidal ideation. Financial stress and poor relationships with both parents, increased the odds of experiencing depressive symptoms. Sexual orientation, financial stress, and poor relationships with fathers, increased the odds of experiencing suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation was also higher in those who had sought help in the past from mental health professionals. Nurses need to be aware of the factors associated with mental ill-health in this population.

Engaging with children and adolescents in mental health settings who are exhibiting behaviours that challenge can often result in the use of seclusion, restraint and coercive practices. It is recognised that more therapeutic ways to engage this population are needed, adopting trauma informed interventions may provide a solution. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence in relation to the effect of trauma-informed interventions on coercive practices in child and adolescent residential settings. The review is guided by elements of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Results were synthesized and reported narratively. Nine studies met the eligibility criteria for this review. There was a lack of homogeneity amongst the studies. The trauma-informed interventions used were typically multi-faceted, underpinned by a variety of approaches and sought to bring about changes to clinical practice. Most studies (n = 8) reported significant reductions in the use of restrictive practices following the implementation of a trauma informed approach. The use of a trauma-informed approach, underpinned by an organisational change or implementation strategy, have the potential to reduce coercive practices with children and adolescents. However, the included interventions were insufficiently described to draw strong conclusions.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant public health restrictions saw the mass movement of higher education to online, remote delivery. There was wide variation in how this was implemented, and for many undergraduate programs, this was the first time teaching was conducted remotely. The aim of this study was to explore undergraduate student nurses’ views of online learning. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse focus group data from undergraduate nursing students. Two central themes described student preferences for learning environments and challenges associated with asynchronous learning. Participants reported a preference for face-to-face learning. Suggestions for optimising remote learning include an emphasis on synchronous live sessions rather than asynchronous learning, incentivised learning, and a focus on ongoing formative informal assessment to maintain engagement. Specific challenges related to poor retention, difficulty remaining motivated, and maintaining focus on content and learning outcomes. As more opportunities arise to engage with online pedagogies for undergraduate nursing students, educators need to ensure their approaches are evidence-based and learner-centric.

Evidence suggests that moving from specialist to generic nurse education, as is proposed in the United Kingdom and as has already happened in countries such as Australia, leads to a reduction in the quality of mental health nurse education and a weakening of mental health nurse professional identity. Meanwhile, research has found that mental health nurse professional identity is already complex because of the discipline's multifaceted but objectively ambiguous role. The present qualitative systematic review aimed to explore mental health nurses' perceptions of their professional identity. It was conducted in the form of a thematic analysis of qualitative data and was compliant with PRISMA reporting guidelines. Six databases (CINAHL Ultimate, EBSCO Medline, APA PsycInfo, APA PsycArticles, PubMed and SCOPUS) were searched in April and May 2024. The literature search yielded a total of n = 3710 studies. Following a process of screening using Covidence and quality appraisal using the CASP tool, a total of n = 23 peer‐reviewed qualitative studies were selected for inclusion. Five themes emerged: (1) Professional identity formation, (2) The attributes of mental health nurses, (3) The mental health nurse role, (4) The unique skills and knowledge of mental health nurses and (5) Professional identity and the future of mental health nursing. This systematic review concluded that mental health nurses recognise their profession as being complex and difficult to describe; however, they remain positive and committed to their roles, recognising that the uniqueness of mental health nursing may become its defining strength.

In this article, we discuss the state of the art of addiction nursing in Europe. This state is viewed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands and has a direct link to the future. Despite differences, the three countries share nursing values. The start of International Nurses Society in Addictions Nursing Ireland and the Netherlands is only the beginning of a new connection and cooperation Europe-wide.

Organizational readiness to change (ORC) is a fundamental concept within the field of organizational development and has been operationalized in substance misuse treatment. The aim of this review was to describe the relationship between staff perceptions of ORC and outcomes in substance misuse treatment services. This systematic review adhered to PRISMA guidelines. Eight papers were identified for inclusion. All papers utilized the same tool or a modified version of the same tool to measure ORC. Four of these papers used the same tool to measure client outcomes. The quality of the included papers was fair, and the level of evidence was low in respect of evidential hierarchy. ORC is predictive how effectively programs can deliver treatment. Positive ORC measurements relate to better staff/client relationships, reduced substance misuse, and better overall treatment engagement. Effectively resourced programs are more likely to have a more favorable ORC assessment, but resources are not the only determinant. Staff dynamics are important, and having a good organizational climate is of particular importance. There is limited evidence available on how to address ORC deficits. Understanding which organizational attributes are more effective than others could provide important information for policy makers and planners, but more evidence is required.