Clinical Research Directory

Empathy and Communication Training Program for Psychiatric Nurse Specialists in Saudi Arabia (ECTP)

This study tests whether a five-day Empathy and Communication Training Program (ECTP) helps psychiatric nurse specialists in Saudi Arabia engage better with their patients. Good relationships between nurses and patients are central to mental health care, but structured training in empathy and communication is limited in Saudi psychiatric hospitals. The ECTP is a face-to-face program of five two-hour sessions (10 hours in total). It covers empathy and communication, the work environment, language and cultural barriers, and emotional preparedness. Sessions use short lectures, role-play, case discussions and group reflection. The study took place at two psychiatric hospitals. Nurses at the Eradah Complex for Mental Health in Dammam took the ECTP. Nurses at the Eradah Hospital for Mental Health in Madinah attended their usual hospital training sessions instead. Participants were not randomly assigned. The hospital they worked in decided which group they joined. Nurses at both hospitals completed a 15-item questionnaire about therapeutic engagement before and after the training period. After the program, 15 nurses from the Dammam group were interviewed about how the training affected their work and what barriers remained. The study aims to find out whether nurses' self-reported therapeutic engagement improves after the ECTP compared with usual training, and to understand nurses' own experiences of the program.

AI Simulation to Reduce Stigma and Enhance Psychiatric Readiness in Nursing Students

Mental illness stigma among nursing students can undermine the quality of care that people with psychiatric conditions receive, and many students feel unprepared for psychiatric practice. This randomized controlled trial will examine whether an AI-based psychiatric simulation programme can reduce stigma and improve readiness for psychiatric nursing practice among fourth-year nursing students at the Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt. It will also test whether these effects are explained by students' sense of psychological safety during simulation-based learning. Two hundred students will be randomly allocated 1:1 to either the intervention or the control arm. Both arms will receive the standard psychiatric-mental health nursing curriculum. The intervention arm will additionally complete five individual AI-simulation cases (one per week over five weeks, about 15-20 minutes each), covering depression with suicide risk, mania, schizophrenia, substance use disorder, and borderline personality disorder with self-harm. Each case includes a structured interview with a simulated patient, a standardized stigma-trigger statement, automated feedback, and an opportunity to retry. Mental illness stigma, readiness for psychiatric practice, and psychological safety will be measured online at two time points: baseline and immediately after the fifth case. Intervention-arm students will also answer two open-ended questions, analyzed thematically to help explain the quantitative findings.

The Effect of a Psychiatric Nursing Approach Based on the Tidal Model on Psychological Resilience and Self-Compassion Levels in Patients Diagnosed With Anxiety Disorder

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an online psychiatric nursing approach based on the Tidal Model philosophy on the psychological resilience and self-compassion levels of individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorder. The study is designed as a randomized controlled doctoral dissertation. The sample consists of individuals who applied to the psychiatry outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital in Ankara, were diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and met the inclusion criteria. Participants were assigned to either the intervention or control group using a computer-generated randomization method. While the control group received only routine clinical follow-ups without any additional intervention, the intervention group participated in 8 sessions of individual online nursing interventions structured according to Tidal Model principles. Data were collected using an Socio-demographic Information Form, the Psychological Resilience Scale, and the Self-Compassion Scale, administered online to both groups before and after the intervention.

Effect of Psychoeducation on Internalized Stigma and Anxiety in Patients Receiving Electroconvulsive Therapy

This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of a psychoeducational programme on internalised stigma and anxiety levels in patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The study aimed to determine whether the psychoeducational intervention reduces internalised stigma related to mental illness and improves anxiety outcomes compared to routine nursing care. The primary questions addressed were: Does the psychoeducational programme reduce internalised stigma in patients receiving ECT? Does the intervention decrease state and trait anxiety levels compared to routine care? Researchers compared a psychoeducational intervention group with a control group receiving routine nursing care to assess the effects of the programme on psychological outcomes. Participants in the intervention group: Received a six-session psychoeducational programme delivered individually over six weeks Completed pre-test and post-test assessments using standardized measurement tools Participants in the control group received routine psychiatric nursing care and completed the same assessment measures at equivalent time points.

The Therapeutic Relationship Between the Case Manager and the Person With Severe Mental Health Disorder

The first mental health case management programs appear progressively in Spain from the trend towards community mental health with the aim of caring for people with severe mental health disorders outside from hospitals, accompanying them in their recovery process. The mental health nurse case manager is an example of advanced practice in in terms of assistance to the most seriously ill in the community mental health network. The use of the therapeutic relationship as the central axis of care for the person is becomes an essential tool for patient recovery. This study aims, through participatory action, to inquire about the relationship therapy and its effect on the person's recovery. There will be a mixed methods research. First, a participatory intervention with nurses through the recording of four focus groups with the aim of understand, plan, change and maintain the practices surrounding the relationship therapy with their patients. Second, this intervention will be measured by administering scales to patients linked to the mental health case management program that provides service to different areas of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. The variables to measure will be the quality of the therapeutic relationship, the recovery of the person and the overall functionality. These variables will be measured before and after finishing the participatory intervention. All data will be anonymized, transcribed and analyzed using the software correspondent.

Effect of Mindfulness-based Psychoeducation in Depression

Major depression is a mental illness that seriously threatens public health, leading to disability, reduced quality of life, economic burden, and premature death. It is estimated that 18.4% of the world's population lived with depression between 2005 and 2015, and it is projected to be a leading cause of global disease burden by 2030. Major depressive disorder manifests with symptoms such as decreased interest and desire, a depressed mood, increased or decreased sleep and appetite, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, decreased energy, suicidal thoughts and attempts, leading to significant impairment in functioning. Choosing the appropriate treatment for depression and taking measures to improve the individual's functionality quickly, shorten hospital stays, and reduce the number of hospitalizations are crucial. In addition to pharmacological treatment, clinical guidelines recommend the combined use of pharmacological and psychosocial interventions in the treatment of depression. The mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which forms the basis of the psychoeducation planned for this study, was developed as an 8-week group approach. Theoretical studies examining emotion regulation mechanisms have indicated that mindful awareness is a fundamental mechanism for emotion regulation. The literature suggests a negative correlation between mindful awareness and the severity of depressive symptoms and difficulty in emotion regulation. Furthermore, despite numerous descriptive, correlational, and experimental studies on major depression, no studies have been found demonstrating the effect of mindful awareness-based psychoeducation on emotion regulation difficulties, distress tolerance, and symptom severity in patients diagnosed with major depression. This study, therefore, differs from existing research and will make a significant contribution to the literature.