TOPIC

Mental health research

Everything we have read on mental health. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

1,480 PAPERS · PAGE 24 OF 30 · NEWEST FIRST

• RNRCT2025Mental Health Stressors of the COVID-19 Pandemic Negatively Affect Self-Management of Comorbid Cardiovascular Disease Among Persons Living With HIV in the United States: A Qualitative Study.The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANACIn 24 adults living with HIV, hypertension and high cholesterol, worry and isolation were common, 14 reported worse mood, and distress was tied to poorer diet, activity and weight, but nearly all kept taking HIV and cardiovascular medicines.
• RNSurvey2025Attitudes, Perceptions and Workplace Factors Predict Well-Being in Forensic Healthcare Workers Caring for Sex Offenders.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingForensic staff caring for sex offenders reported better well-being when they held rational, balanced views of offenders' motivations and worked in safe environments. However, higher trust in offenders predicted lower compassion satisfaction, and relying on co-workers for support was also linked to reduced job satisfaction.
• RNSystematic Review2025Safeguarding Experiences of People in Mental Distress, Police and Healthcare Practitioners: An Integrative Review.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingPeople in mental distress often felt unheard, dismissed or unsafe in police and emergency care. Stigma, delays caused by intoxication and poor transfer of care were recurring problems.
• RNQualitative2025Phenomenological Study on the Lived Experience of Patients After Major Cardiac Surgery in Intensive Care Units.Nursing in critical careICU patients after cardiac surgery feared not waking up, described foggy awakening, endless time, and feeling invisible during conversations. They valued nurses who anticipated needs, but wanted to be included in care decisions.
• RNRCT2025Application of "Internet+"-Based Continuous Nursing to Improve the Nutrition-Health Level of Pediatric Liver Transplant.Nursing & health sciencesAfter 4 weeks, children whose families used an Internet+ continuity care package had fewer malnutrition-risk cases than routine care (8/38 vs 16/38). The package bundled team, WeChat, daily photo checks, videos, emergency contact and calls, so no single part is shown to be responsible.
• RNSystematic Review2025Interventions for Caregivers Caring for a Family Member With Advanced Illness at Home: A Systematic Review.Nursing & health sciencesHome-based support for caregivers of relatives with advanced illness showed mixed short-term benefits. Interventions improved preparedness and reduced burden in some studies, but effects on depression, anxiety, and quality of life were inconsistent or faded over time.
• RNSurvey2025The Association of Sleep Quality With Anorexia in Patients With Heart Failure: Do Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Mediate This Association.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingIn 210 inpatients with heart failure, poorer sleep was linked to more appetite loss. Anxiety and depression were linked to both and may be part of the association. Screen sleep and mood when appetite is poor.
• RNQualitative2025Barriers and Equity in Paid Parental Leave: Insights from Diverse Postpartum Experiences in Connecticut.Journal of midwifery & women's healthPostpartum women said paid leave helped recovery but 12 weeks felt short, benefits were hard to find, and workplace stigma pressured early return. Nurses can discuss leave eligibility and help with applications during prenatal and postpartum care.
• RNSurvey2025Emotional Distress in Patients With Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study.The journal of nursing research : JNREmotional distress was common among cancer inpatients. A short questionnaire helped identify low dignity, demoralization, depression, and suicidal ideation, and may guide nurses on when to escalate care.
• RNRCT2025The Impact of Nurse-Led Peer Support Interventions on Psychological Status and Quality of Life After Acute Myocardial Infarction Stent Implantation in China.The Journal of cardiovascular nursingAfter stent implantation for heart attack, adults receiving 12 weeks of nurse-led peer support plus standard care had less anxiety, depression and stress than standard care alone, with better quality of life and medication adherence.
• RNQualitative2025Insight Into the Role of Protestant Christianity in the Experience of Living With a Suicidal Relative: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study.Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursingFor Protestant relatives of suicidal patients, faith was a double-edged sword. Believing the loved one would go to heaven brought peace, while fearing hell caused guilt and isolation. Nurses must ask about these specific religious beliefs to support coping effectively.
• SLPRNSurvey2026Experiences and insights from parents of children with temporary feeding tubes.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityParents of children with temporary nasogastric feeding tubes found insertion distressing and home management hard, especially after discharge. They valued clear information and involvement in decisions, but some got inconsistent advice and wanted peer support.
• RNSurvey2025Enhancing Parent Support During Emergency Department Visits for Suicidal Adolescents.International journal of mental health nursingParents of adolescents presenting to an ED in suicide crisis overwhelmingly wanted help caring for their child after discharge, especially talking with ED staff. Only 25.2% received information about caring for the child after discharge, and many rated support poor.
• RNQualitative2025Addressing Weight-Related Bullying in Schools: Youth Perspectives on School Policies and Interventions.The Journal of school health71.6% of youth respondents had seen weight-related bullying. They wanted education, consequences, and policies naming weight, but some said school weight checks and letters about weight could make things worse.
• RNOther2025Association of Language Barriers and Depression Among Latino and Non-Latino White US Nursing Home Residents.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationDepression was common among nursing home residents, but Latino residents were less likely to have depression documented, especially those needing a Spanish interpreter. This may signal under-recognition, not lower need.
• RNCohort2025Biobehavioral correlates of multidimensional fatigue in men with prostate cancer: A secondary data analysis.European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing SocietyIn men with prostate cancer receiving radiation, general, physical, and mental fatigue worsened during treatment, while emotional fatigue improved. After treatment, general, physical, and mental fatigue improved, but emotional fatigue stayed steady.
• RNQualitative2025A Family Camp for Families Where a Parent Experiences Mental Health Challenges: A Qualitative Evaluation.International journal of mental health nursingParents and children said a weekend Family Camp combining family activities, peer connection, creative play and nature gave them time to connect and talk about mental health, but parents found it emotionally exhausting. This reports experiences, not measured effects.
• RNSystematic Review2026Women's Experiences of Care and Support Following Postpartum Psychosis: A Meta-Ethnography.Journal of advanced nursingWomen with postpartum psychosis described delayed recognition, traumatic separation from infants in general psychiatric units, stigma, medication conflicts, and relief from mother-baby units, tailored information, psychological support and peer support.
• PTOTSLPRNQualitative2026Exploring the Healthcare Experiences and Preferences of LGBT+ People: An Online Asynchronous Focus Group Study.Journal of advanced nursingLGBT+ patients described healthcare in Ireland as fragmented and often unsafe, citing misgendering, heteronormative assumptions, and a lack of competent providers. They relied on word-of-mouth to find care, with rural patients feeling particularly excluded from services.
• RNOther2026Research Priorities for Nursing and Allied Health: A Priority-Setting Project Using a Partnership Approach.Journal of advanced nursingPatients, carers and clinicians in two Australian hospitals prioritised access, patient journey, streamlining care, dementia and delirium, mental health, older adults, carers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and workforce. These are nursing and allied health research priorities, not tested care changes.
• RNSystematic Review2026Community-Based Initiatives to Improve Maternal and Newborn Health in High-Income Settings: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.Journal of midwifery & women's healthPeer support in high-income countries consistently improves maternal mental health and breastfeeding rates, with 9 of 10 studies showing benefit. Social support alone is often ineffective, but gains value when combined with health education. Women valued connectedness and practical information.
• RNOther2025Complementary Interventions Using Technology for Individuals With Infertility Using Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Scoping Review.Nursing & health sciencesTechnology-based education, counselling, and lifestyle coaching for infertility treatment was reported to improve knowledge, stress, anxiety, coping, diet, and satisfaction. It did not show better fertility-related quality of life, health behaviours, or pregnancy rates.
• RNQualitative2025A Qualitative Study of Ecological Momentary Assessment of Suicide Risk for Persons Living With HIV in Philadelphia, PA, USA: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Ethical Implications.The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care : JANACTen adults living with HIV reported daily suicide-risk prompts increased self-awareness and sometimes motivated action. Some skipped questions or underreported suicidal thoughts because of fear of hospitalization or stigma. Participants wanted clearer warnings about which answers could lead to hospitalization.
• RNCase-Control2025Sleep, physical activity, and pregnancy symptoms: Factors associated with cognitive performance in early pregnancy.MidwiferyIn early pregnancy, memory learning scores were lower than controls. Physical symptoms were associated with worse memory interference, and longer sleep with better executive task scores. Stress, depression and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were unrelated.
• RNSurvey2026Drills or Distress? Understanding the Psychological Effects of Active Shooter Drills on Adolescents.The Journal of school nursing : the official publication of the National Association of School NursesMost students who had active shooter drills did not feel anxious afterward, but female students, students with anxiety, suicidal thoughts, disability, or more childhood trauma were more likely to feel anxious afterward. More frequent drills were linked to lower reported anxiety.
• RNSystematic Review2026Family Bereavement Support Interventions in Specialist Adult Palliative Care: A Rapid Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.Journal of advanced nursingPalliative care bereavement support helped some families cope, but effects were inconsistent. Pre-death needs assessments and clear communication, plus follow-up within six months, were valued. Evidence was mixed and not strong enough to prove which supports work best.
• RNOther2025Self-Care in Addiction Recovery: A Scoping Review.International journal of mental health nursingPeople recovering from substance use disorders described self-care as emotional regulation, relationships and coping, including sometimes maladaptive drug use. Mindfulness, CBT, digital tools, substance-free activity and harm reduction were mapped, not proven effective.
• RNSurvey2025How Do Mental Health Nursing Students in the United Kingdom Experience Assessment Against the NMC Generic Standards of Proficiency? A Cross-Field Comparison.International journal of mental health nursingMental health nursing students reported significantly lower confidence to practise than adult nursing students, largely because generic standards prioritise medical procedures rarely used in mental health settings. This forced students into adult placements and created assessment barriers.
• RNSurvey2025Factors relating to climate change anxiety in women at reproductive age: A CHAID analysis.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PWomen averaged 52.46 of 90 for climate-change anxiety, a moderate level. Higher total scores were associated with anxiety about climate harms and knowing about climate change. This was cross-sectional, so it does not show cause.
• RNOther2025Characterizing symptom clusters for older adults with urinary incontinence in home healthcare.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Most home healthcare episodes for older adults with urinary incontinence had no tracked symptoms documented. When symptoms appeared, anxiety, dizziness, constipation, and a complex all-symptom cluster emerged; dizziness-anxiety was tied to a history of two or more falls.
• RNSystematic Review2026Scoping Review of Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research in Ireland.Journal of advanced nursingIrish sexual and gender minority health research is narrow: most studies cover gay and bisexual men, adults, mental health and HIV. Nurses may see patients report stigma, hidden identities, misgendering and barriers to care.
• RNCohort2025Beyond Somatic Multimorbidity: Longitudinal Effects of Edentulism and Mental Health on Cognition in Older Adults.Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationIn older adults with chronic conditions, complete tooth loss was linked to faster cognitive decline over time. Mental health conditions alone were linked to lower starting cognition but not faster decline.
• RNOther2025Caregiver Burden and the Related Factors Among Family Caregivers of Older Persons With Schizophrenia: A Mixed Methods Study.International journal of older people nursing52.6% of family caregivers of older people with schizophrenia in Nigeria reported severe burden. Depression and anxiety were the strongest factors linked to higher burden, along with financial strain and social sacrifice.
• RNQualitative2025Lived Experiences of Transgender Inmates in Barcelona Prisons: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of NursingEight transgender inmates described prison healthcare as stigmatizing and fragmented, and valued care when nurses used chosen names and listened. They reported interrupted hormones, inadequate mental health and sexual health support, isolation called protection, and recurrent suicidal thoughts.
• OTRNQualitative2026Beyond AIC: An Interpretive Descriptive Qualitative Study of Youth Experiences and Perceptions of Living With Type 2 Diabetes.Journal of advanced nursingYoung people with diabetes described stigma, fear from family complications, and mental health gaps; routines and support were tied to feeling normal.
• RNSystematic Review2026On the Move to Surgery: A Scoping Review of Patient-Reported Outcomes for Preoperative Walking Into the Operating Theatre.Journal of advanced nursingMost studies show patients feel less anxious and satisfied when walking to surgery, but results are mixed. One trial found lower satisfaction with walking, and an observational study linked supine transport to less severe anxiety. No adverse events were reported, but patient selection is critical.
• RNSystematic Review2025Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents: A Systematic Review on Prevention and Intervention Programmes.Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, IncTwo included programmes reported reduced self-injury or improved emotional regulation in adolescent observational studies, but evidence was limited and neither was nurse-led. Risk factors were inconsistent.
• RNRCT2026A randomised pilot study evaluating music therapy and virtual reality mindfulness sessions for reducing anxiety and stress in patients undergoing first-time elective cardiac surgery.Journal of perioperative practiceBoth music and VR reduced preoperative anxiety scores by similar amounts, but neither lowered stress hormone levels. Because there was no untreated control group, it is impossible to know if the interventions themselves caused the improvement.
• PTOTSLPRNOther2025Lived experiences, depression, and quality of life in Korean women with Parkinson disease after deep brain stimulation: a multimethod study.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea)Quality of life and depression did not clearly improve in Korean women with Parkinson disease after deep brain stimulation, although motor symptoms improved. They described pain, visible device changes, battery costs, and fear of shutdown.
• RNSurvey2026Psychometric Validation of Culturally Adapted Tool for Measuring Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence: Bridging Social Norms and Community Interventions.Journal of transcultural nursing : official journal of the Transcultural Nursing SocietyA six-item scale for Saudi adults captured recognition of domestic violence and support for intervention. Three questions about accepting violence did not fit, so it measures awareness, not personal acceptance.
• RNCohort2025The Impact of Urinary Incontinence, Sexual Dysfunction, and Depressive Symptoms on Health-Related Quality of Life Over the 12-Month Postpartum Period.The journal of nursing research : JNRPostpartum women had the lowest physical and mental quality of life at 1 month. Moderate to very severe urinary incontinence, depressive symptoms, and sexual satisfaction or lubrication scores were associated with quality of life.
• PTOTSLPRNCohort2025Family Functioning and Parent Behavioural Changes Post-Admission to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Centre Cohort Study.Nursing in critical careMost families maintained healthy functioning after PICU discharge, but caregiver distress strongly predicted poor outcomes. Nurses should screen for caregiver PTSD and mental illness during follow-up, as these affect family cohesion more than the child's clinical severity.
• RNQualitative2025Exploring How the Psychological Safety of Patients Is Impacted by Restrictive Practices in Inpatient Mental Healthcare: A Qualitative Study.International journal of mental health nursingEighteen former inpatients described restrictive practices as psychologically unsafe when staff reacted to behaviour without exploring why, used locked doors and blanket restrictions, or left them without debrief. Clear communication and small choices could improve safety.
• PTRNQualitative2026The Forgotten Caregivers: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experiences of Fathers of Children With Medical Complexity.Journal of clinical nursingFathers of children with medical complexity described night care, lifting, financial pressure and emotional support as central. They wanted peer support, flexible work, mental health help and physiotherapy for caregiver strain.
• RNSystematic Review2025Effect of Cognitive Behavior Therapy on the Mental Health of Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review.Gastroenterology nursing : the official journal of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and AssociatesIn adults with IBS, CBT was linked to improvements in anxiety, depression, sleep, quality of life, or symptom-related disability in many included studies, but not all. A mobile CBT study did not reduce IBS symptoms or quality of life.
• RNQualitative2025Navigating Uncertainty: Family Experiences and Coping Strategies During Critical Care Hospitalisation: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.Nursing in critical careFamily members of critical care patients described waiting for updates, feeling isolated, and suppressing emotions to appear strong as sources of stress. Detailed, repeated explanations and active bedside involvement helped some cope.
• RNQualitative2026"Rolling the Boulder Up the Hill": A Qualitative Study of Parents' Experiences Providing Ongoing Care at Home for Their Child with Complex Medical Needs.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresParents caring for medically complex children at home described doing nursing tasks, advocacy, and round-the-clock care, often without enough support, with strain on sleep, identity, and finances. Ask what support is missing.
• RNCohort2026Validation of the French-Canadian Version of FAME, a Family Engagement Measurement Tool for the Intensive Care Unit.The Canadian journal of nursing research = Revue canadienne de recherche en sciences infirmieresA French-Canadian family engagement questionnaire for ICU families showed consistent scores. Higher engagement was associated with greater family satisfaction, not anxiety or depression.
• RNSurvey2025Influencing factors on quality of life in women undergoing cancer treatment: a cross-sectional study.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea)Higher QoL was associated with less death anxiety, better daily-activity ability, and better perceived health in 101 hospitalized women with cancer. Body image and household labor were not significant predictors.
• RNSystematic Review2025Interventions for Psychological Stress in Pregnant African American Women: A Scoping Review.Issues in mental health nursingStress interventions for pregnant African American women showed mixed results. Quantitative data did not consistently prove reduced stress, but participants valued culturally matched support and mind-body techniques. Current evidence is too sparse to recommend specific protocols as effective treatments.