1Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry
2Principal, National Institute of Nursing Education
3Professor, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India
*Correspondence Address: Munish Aggarwal Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India
Online published on 11 October, 2012.
Caring for patients using psychoactive substances is part of nursing care. Negative attitude towards them may have an adverse effect on the care being provided. There is no study from India which evaluated attitude of nursing students towards psychoactive substance use.
The study was a cross sectional survey among 200 nursing students. Attitude towards drug taking behavior and alcoholism was assessed using previously validated scales.
There was overall negative attitude towards drug taking and alcoholism. There was a strong correlation between attitude towards drug use and alcoholism. Interestingly, subjects who underwent posting in psychiatry and/or de-addiction services had more negative attitude towards psychoactive substance use.
There is a negative attitude among nursing students towards psychoactive substance use which is more negative among those exposed to patients who use psychoactive substances. It is important to pay attention to the quality of training program, with a specific focus on attitudinal aspects.
Attitude, Psychoactive Substance use, Nursing Students
