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.

736 PAPERS · PAGE 7 OF 15 · NEWEST FIRST

• RNSurvey2025Identifying the key influencing factors of psychological birth trauma in primiparous women with interpretable machine learning.International journal of nursing sciencesPain scores above 6 and anxiety scores above 2 were linked to more psychological birth trauma in first-time mothers. Resilience scores above 20 were linked to less trauma.
• RNSystematic Review2025The Factors That Affect Sexual Safety on Adult Mental Health Inpatient Units: A Scoping Review and Content Analysis.International journal of mental health nursingConsumers and staff in adult mental health units described unsafe spaces, disbelieved reports and limited trauma training as threats to sexual safety. Women-only areas helped some feel safer, but did not alone solve it.
• RNQualitative2025Experience of Families During Admission of Their Minors to a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Phenomenological Study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciencesFamilies of children with long intensive care admissions described fear, anxiety, helplessness and loneliness, but also trust and comfort when staff communicated clearly, included them in care and taught practical tasks.
• RNQualitative2025A framework for developing spouse-inclusive digital applications in preventing perinatal depression and anxiety.International journal of nursing sciencesWomen and spouses described adjusting to a new period of life, dealing with perinatal distress, and mobilizing needs and supports. Experts judged the proposed spouse-inclusive digital framework appropriate, but no app was tested.
• RNQualitative2025Impact of Music Therapy on Patients in the Critical Care Unit: A Qualitative Study.Nursing in critical careAdult ICU patients described live, personalised music therapy as a distraction from monitors and loneliness. They said they felt accompanied, relaxed and motivated, although some said the experience varied with their physical and emotional state.
• RNSurvey2025Understanding the Burden: Exploring Key Factors in Dementia Caregiving in Residential Care Homes.The journal of nursing research : JNRDementia caregivers reported mild-to-moderate burden. Attitudes and confidence predicted burden, but basic dementia knowledge did not. Agitation and medication count were key resident factors. Weekly hours predicted burden inconsistently, varying by care home type.
• RNSurvey2025On Patient Quality of Life: Impacts of Knee Osteoarthritis on Pain, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue and Sleep Disorders.Nursing openKnee osteoarthritis patients grouped into low symptoms, high psychological distress, and high fatigue and sleep problems. The latter two groups had worse quality of life, so nurses should ask about mood, fatigue and sleep, not just knee pain.
• RNSystematic Review2025Caregiving Experiences of Caregivers of Adolescents With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.Nursing openCaregivers of teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease felt shocked, guilty and financially strained, but many found strength through family and healthcare team support.
• OTRNCohort2025Brief Admission by Self-Referral: A 4-Year Follow-Up on Utilisation Patterns and Experiences.International journal of mental health nursingBrief admission use dropped for most participants over four years, leaving only eight who used it consistently. These high users had worse self-care but rated the service highest. Some were refused emergency care because they held a brief admission contract.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025Chatbot-Delivered Interventions for Improving Mental Health Among Young People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Worldviews on evidence-based nursingChatbot interventions for young people reduced psychological distress compared with controls, but did not significantly improve well-being. Effects varied by platform and chatbot type, and many studies had high risk of bias.
• RNOther2025Association Between Smartphone Attachment and Mental Health in Adolescents.Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, IncAdolescents with stronger smartphone attachment reported more anxiety and depressive symptoms, even after accounting for sleep and overall health. Forty-five of 137 exceeded a moderate-to-severe attachment threshold and had higher anxiety and depression scores.
• RNQualitative2025Structural analysis of women's social representations of urinary incontinence.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PWomen's immediate words for urinary incontinence were urine, shame, pee, discomfort and pain; many knew pelvic floor exercises but did not practice them, and shame linked to fear and embarrassment.
• RNSystematic Review2025Experiences and Perspectives of Families of Psychiatric Hospitalisation of Their Adult Family Member: A Qualitative Systematic Review.International journal of mental health nursingFamilies of adults hospitalised for mental illness described feeling excluded, unheard and treated as outsiders by inpatient staff. They said experiences became more positive when staff shared information in everyday language, respected their knowledge, and involved them in care and discharge planning.
• RNOther2025Mental Health Screening in a Rural Trauma Center: Feasibility and Impact.Journal of trauma nursing : the official journal of the Society of Trauma NursesPsychiatric consultations rose only from 1.0% to 1.4%, an increase the study could not distinguish from chance, while trauma RN screening reached 84.2% of eligible patients.
• PTOTSLPRNOther2025The Effect of a Health-Promoting Program on Quality of Life of Thai Homebound Older Adults: A Quasi-Experimental Study.International journal of community based nursing and midwiferyHomebound older adults whose family caregivers completed a 12-week empowerment program reported significantly better quality of life than those receiving usual care. The caregivers learned practical skills like fall prevention and hygiene, directly improving the patients' physical, psychological, and social well-being.
• RNSurvey2025Validity evidence for the Brazilian version of the Postpartum Specific Anxiety Scale.Revista brasileira de enfermagemA Brazilian postpartum anxiety scale identified four types of worry in mothers and gave consistent scores when repeated after 14 days. It kept 43 of 51 items and scored in step with anxiety and depression scales. Use it to screen, not to show treatment works.
• RNOther2025An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study Among Adolescent Patients Who Attempted Suicide and Their Childhood Mobility.Journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing : official publication of the Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurses, IncIn emergency department records, adolescents with a prior zip code change were more likely to be recorded as having attempted suicide than those with none. Ask about recent moves during risk assessment.
• RNOther2025The effect of auriculotherapy on individuals with anxiety in follow-up in Primary Health Care.Revista brasileira de enfermagemIn 60 primary care users with anxiety, ten needle sessions, taped cowpea seeds and daily seed pressing were followed by lower anxiety, stress and depression scores and better self-rated quality of life. This before-after study cannot prove the treatment caused the change.
• RNCohort2025Perceived Stress, Residential Indoor PM2.5 Concentration, and Motor Vehicle Traffic Exposure Among Adults with Asthma: A Secondary Analysis.The American journal of nursingIn adults with asthma, higher indoor PM2.5 levels correlated with higher perceived stress scores. Traffic exposure did not significantly increase stress or indoor PM2.5 levels. Nurses should assess home air quality and stress together, as traffic alone did not explain the link.
• RNOther2025Measuring Recovery Using the Individual Recovery Outcomes Counter: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study on Structural Validity in Dutch Mental Health Care.International journal of mental health nursingThe I.ROC total score can give a useful overall picture of recovery in Dutch mental health clients, but subscale scores are not consistently dependable. Use the 12 items and total score; be cautious with subscales.
• RNSurvey2025Resilience and its association with caregiving and psychosocial factors among lung cancer caregivers in Vietnam.European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing SocietyHalf of 213 lung cancer caregivers in Vietnam had low resilience. Higher preparedness, quality of life, and family support were associated with better resilience; depression, burden, and longer stays were associated with worse.
• RNOther2025Self-stigma profiles in schizophrenia: a Latent Class Analysis approach.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemAmong 227 people with schizophrenia, poorer adjustment in social, school, and work roles before psychosis onset was linked to higher self-stigma profiles. Ethnicity, gender, untreated psychosis duration, and symptom severity were not significant predictors.
• RNOther2025Creating an Empirically Informed Mental Health Workbook for Racialised Newcomer Youth in Saskatchewan: Community-Based Participatory Action Research.International journal of mental health nursingPilot users reported the workbook increased mental health literacy, validated their stress experiences, and motivated self-care. This was a development report with no control group, so it shows the tool was well-received, not that it improves outcomes.
• RNRCT2025Lack of Association of Emotional Distress With Insulin Initiation in the GRADE Randomized Diabetes Comparative Effectiveness Trial.The science of diabetes self-management and careDepressive symptoms and diabetes distress showed no clear association with starting basal or rapid-acting insulin when A1C reached the trial's insulin intensification thresholds. In analyzed samples, 178 of 525 never started basal insulin, and 106 of 325 started rapid-acting insulin.
• RNSurvey2025Health and Quality of Life in Nursing Homes: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study on the Impact of Leadership and Person-Centred Care.Nursing openStaff-rated person-centred care was linked to better quality of life, fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms and better cognition in nursing home residents. Leadership was not. Some social interactions had mixed links, and links did not change over time.
• RNMeta-Analysis2025The Effectiveness of Patient-Centered Digital Empowerment Programs in Hematological Cancer Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Worldviews on evidence-based nursingFatigue did not improve when blood cancer patients used digital empowerment programs, but depression, distress, self-efficacy and quality of life showed small positive changes. Use them as support, not physical symptom treatment.
• RNRCT2025Effect of Snyder's hope theory-based nursing intervention on patients with breast cancer.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S PIn breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, a four-week nurse-led hope programme reduced fatigue, anxiety and depression scores, and raised hope and quality of life more than routine nursing.
• RNSurvey2025Psychological Distress Among Suicide Exposed and Subsequently Bereaved Carers.International journal of mental health nursingCarers who supported someone after a suicide attempt and then lost them to suicide reported more distress when their own suicidal thoughts were severe and when they felt the death had a large impact. Closeness alone did not track distress.
• RNQualitative2025Exploring Mental Health Consumer Perceptions and Experiences of Goal-Setting With the Physical Health Nurse Consultant.International journal of mental health nursingConsumers with psychosis described goal-setting with a physical health nurse as effective when it felt empowering, not prescriptive. They valued extracting their own goals, adapting them when symptoms or meds shifted, and having written plans for accountability.
• RNOther2025To Make Another Goal or to Dream a Different Dream-A Mixed Method Study of Experiences of People Using Mental Health Advance Care Planning.International journal of mental health nursingMental health advance statements were often not found or discussed, but when nurses or advocates engaged with them, consumers described value. Survey respondents reported 91% of items were followed; interviews showed varied experiences.
• RNSurvey2025A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work?International journal of mental health nursing58.5% of ECT recipients and 60.1% of family/friends reported ECT was not at all helpful; 62.3% of recipients reported worse quality of life, while 41.0% reported better mood.
• RNQualitative2025Safety for Recovery During Admission to Acute Mental Health Hospitals: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study to Support Safety-Focused Recovery-Oriented Care in the Context of Risk Management Constraints.International journal of mental health nursingPeople with experience of acute mental health hospital admissions described feeling safer when nurses explored their beliefs, explained hospital rules, and noticed what mattered outside. These interactions helped them begin making sense of recovery under restrictive risk management.
• PTOTRNMeta-Analysis2025Efficacy and safety of exercise rehabilitation in the vulnerable phase in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of nursing sciencesExercise rehabilitation in the first three months after discharge for acute heart failure improves walking distance, physical performance, and quality of life. It reduces all-cause readmissions by six months. However, it does not significantly improve heart pumping function, reduce heart failure-specific readmissions, or lower mortality rates.
• RNQualitative2025An Exploration of Online Positive Feedback in Relation to Mental Health Nursing Practice.International journal of mental health nursingService users and carers praised mental health nurses for staying present in crisis, listening without judgement, building trust, and supporting recovery. The paper describes these experiences, not proof that any approach improves outcomes.
• RNRCT2025Using an aromatherapy intervention with Citrus bergamia (bergamot) essential oil in adults in treatment for substance use disorder: A randomized controlled trial.International journal of nursing sciencesBergamot aroma inhalers were feasible and acceptable for adults in substance use disorder treatment, but overall comfort and the combined depression, anxiety, and stress score did not differ from standard care. Some ease and separate depression, anxiety, and stress subscale scores differed.
• RNSurvey2025Cross-national prevalence of mental disorders in older adults exposed to COVID-19 information.Revista latino-americana de enfermagemAmong older adults in Peru, Brazil and Mexico, 42.6% met the anxiety screening cutoff and 59.4% met the depression cutoff. Frequent social media exposure, plus television use, were associated with anxiety screening; television and radio exposure were associated with depression screening. This cannot show cause.
• RNOther2025ICNP® nursing diagnoses and outcomes for community mental health based on the Tidal Model.Revista brasileira de enfermagem426 ICNP nursing diagnosis and outcome statements were constructed for community mental health using the Tidal Model. Most were not already in ICNP 2019/2020, and content validation is still needed.
• RNSurvey2025Social alienation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: A latent profile analysis.International journal of nursing sciencesIBD patients fell into three social alienation groups: low, moderate, and high. The high group had more anxiety, depression, financial stress, and malnutrition risk. This survey did not test whether nursing interventions reduce alienation.
• RNOther2025Support for Recovery in Mental Health: A Delphi Study From the Family's Perspective.International journal of mental health nursingFamily caregivers of mental health service users identified presence, psychological support, communication and guidance as ways to support recovery. They also identified accessible services and caregiver training as key.
• RNQualitative2025Within the Walls: Experiences of Admission to Psychiatric Hospital in Ireland Prior to 2001.International journal of mental health nursingSix people who were psychiatric inpatients in Ireland before 2001 described the hospital as isolating and confusing. They felt stripped of their identity as mothers or individuals, struggled to understand their treatments, and carried lasting trauma from electroconvulsive therapy and medication.
• RNSystematic Review2025Consequences of the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on child and adolescent mental, psychosocial, and physical health: A scoping review and interactive evidence map.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityAcross 826 pandemic articles, anxiety, depression, stress, relationship concerns, and isolation were the most commonly reported child and adolescent outcomes. Physical harms and tested treatments were rare, so this maps what has been studied, not proven interventions.
• RNOther2025Climate change effects in older people's health: A scoping review.Journal of advanced nursingHeat, cold, air pollution and extreme weather are linked to more hospitalizations, deaths, cognitive decline and mental health problems in older adults. Nurses should monitor dehydration, breathing, heart, kidney and mood changes during climate events.
• PTOTRNOther2026Multidimensional associations of physical performance, balance, wellness and daily activities with frailty in older adults with coexisting frailty and diabetes.Journal of clinical nursingIn older adults with diabetes and frailty, faster walking and sit-to-stand movement, better one-leg balance, more moderate-to-vigorous activity, less dependence, better nutrition and health perception were associated with being pre-frail rather than frail. Higher depression scores were associated with being frail.
• RNQualitative2025Adolescent and caregiver perceptions of addressing mental health in inflammatory bowel disease.Journal of child health care : for professionals working with children in the hospital and communityAdolescents with IBD and caregivers said stigma, trust, and who was present shaped mental health talks. Direct, nonjudgmental questions were valued, but written screening alone was not enough. Ask each patient how they want these conversations.
• RNOther2025Implementation of Positive Advanced Recovery Connections in Primary and Secondary Mental Health Care-A Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner-Led Initiative.Journal of advanced nursingPeople referred to a nurse-led mental health clinic reported lower distress, symptoms and functioning problems after assessment, CBT, Decider Skills and signposting. Most were offered an appointment within one week; mild secondary-care cases made up 50% then 28% of caseload.
• RNOther2025Nursing assessment of mental health issues in the general clinical environment: A descriptive study.Journal of advanced nursingIn four general hospital wards, nurses screened 293 of 397 patients for mental health concerns; 20 were identified. Only 9 were referred, and past psychiatric or trauma histories were often missed.
• RNSurvey2026Factors Associated with Advance Care Planning Engagement Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of clinical nursingOlder adults with higher anxiety or decisional conflict engaged less in advance care planning. Depression showed no association. Decisional conflict mediated the link between anxiety and reduced engagement, suggesting clarity in care options is key.
• RNSystematic Review2026Virtual reality-based reminiscence therapy for older adults to improve psychological well-being and cognition: A systematic review.Journal of clinical nursingOlder adults generally enjoyed virtual reality reminiscence and had little cybersickness, but effects on anxiety, depression and cognition were mixed. It may help recall personal memories, not prove broader cognitive or mood benefits.
• RNSurvey2025Undergoing Orthopaedic Day Surgery: What Factors Are Associated With patients' Feeling of Safety and Their Recovery?Journal of clinical nursingPatients after orthopaedic day surgery who were more anxious before surgery felt less safe and reported poorer recovery. Those with previous surgery felt safer. Feeling safer was linked with better recovery.
• RNOther2025Returning to Work After Cancer Treatment: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study Guided by Transitions Theory.Cancer nursingCancer survivors returning to work reported anxiety, fear of recurrence, and relationship strain alongside lost productivity. They said gradual returns, workplace flexibility, and clear information about treatment effects helped; some had not been told about cognitive changes.