Human rights of people with mental illness: determining knowledge and attitude of nursing students in Enugu state Nigeria

Purpose: Human right is a phenomenon universal to all but greatly significant for disadvantaged groups like people with mental illness who due to the limitations of their illness cannot assert their rights. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of nursing students regarding the human rights of people with mental illness. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive study was conducted among 72 nursing students purposively selected from two nursing schools in Enugu, Nigeria. Data were collected using a 38 item literature-based questionnaire developed by the researchers. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach’s alpha model with 0.812 coefficients. Findings: Participants 32 (44.4%) demonstrated moderate knowledge regarding the human rights of people with mental illness. The attitude of nursing students towards the right of people with mental illness was positive (2.81). There is no significant difference in knowledge between students of the two schools, p = 0.199 (>0.05). However, the study showed that students from basic nursing school had a more favourable attitude towards the rights of people with mental illness compared to the post-basic nursing students, p = 0.050 (<0.05). Originality/value: The rising incidence of human right violation in mental health practice indicates the need to assess the knowledge and attitude of the future workforce who play a critical role in the care and management of people with mental illness. The nursing curriculum should provide nursing students in their various institutions of training, sufficient information on the human rights of people with mental illness. Also, a legal structure in Nigeria for people with mental illness is imperative to protect them from gross human rights violations. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.