Factors Influencing Student Nurses’ Willingness to Care for Mentally Ill Patients with Highly Infectious Diseases in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Individuals experiencing mental illness and diagnosed with highly infectious diseases (HID) are doubly stigmatized. Identifying the factors influencing student’s willingness to care for this special population is essential not only to inform stigma reduction strategies but also to provide useful information towards building a critical mass of future compassionate caregivers with ultimate goal of improving the quality of nursing care for mentally ill persons. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive research design was utilized to examine 200 participants from a training institution in Ebonyi state. Data was collected using validated author constructed instrument. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze data. Result: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the variables were statistically significant at χ 2 (4) = 23.133, p < 0.001. This demonstrates that all factors (gender, marital status, incentives, and family type) influence student nurses’ willingness to work with mentally ill patients who have highly infectious diseases. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that appropriate institutional policies, additional training, and incentives should be adopted to boost student motivation.