Male nurses attitudes towards patients with dual diagnosis.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the attitudes of male mental health nurses' attitudes towards dual diagnosis in-patients with co-morbid substance misuse and mental health problems in the national psychiatric hospital of Malta. Also under investigation were correlations between attitudes and demographic factors such as age, educational level, professional status and experience of working in mental health settings. A questionnaire on attitudes, skills and knowledge was distributed to male mental health nurses (n=50) working with this patient group in the in-patient mental health setting in Malta. 42 nurses returned the questionnaire, giving an overall response rate of 84%. The participants were surveyed using the Substance Abuse Attitude Survey (SAAS) (Chappel, Veach & Krug, R, 1985). The SAAS measures five factors: treatment intervention, treatment optimism, non-stereotyping, permissiveness and non-moralism. The survey results indicated that the attitudes of the male mental health nurses to dual diagnosis patients was generally positive and constructive. The majority of respondents were non-stereotyping and optimistic that drug and alcohol dependence are treatable illnesses, and also held positive views on treatment interventions. However, results also showed that respondents have poor professional satisfaction when caring for this patient group, and also obtained suboptimal scores in permissiveness and non-moralism. They believed that life-long abstinence is a necessary goal in the treatment of substance misuse, and that substance dependence is associated with a weak will. This could show that nurses might experience frustration and resentment in their effort to understand their patients' substance dependence, but at the same time they still endeavored to provide the necessary mental health care. An optimistic and positive attitude towards treatment interventions should empower nurses to provide the essential care needed for substance misuse patients.