Vol. 8, Issue 1, Part A (2026)

Background: Mental illnesses continue to be associated with stigma and negative social perceptions, which may also be reflected among health care professionals and students. Such attitudes can adversely influence the quality of care provided to psychiatric patients, leading to unmet health needs and substandard treatment. Understanding the level of knowledge and attitude toward psychiatric patients among undergraduate health sciences students is essential, as these students represent the future workforce responsible for delivering holistic and compassionate mental health care.

Objectives: The study aimed to assess and compare the knowledge and attitude regarding psychiatric patients among undergraduate health sciences students and to determine the relationship between knowledge and attitude, as well as the association between selected demographic variables and attitude.

Methodology: A non-experimental descriptive research design was adopted. A total of 120 undergraduate health sciences students from MBBS, Bachelor of Physiotherapy (B.P.Th), and Basic B.Sc. Nursing programs were selected using a convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured knowledge questionnaire and an attitude rating scale related to psychiatric patients. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics including two-sample z-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Fisher’s exact test were used for data analysis.

Results: The findings revealed that the majority of MBBS and B.P.Th students demonstrated good to excellent knowledge regarding psychiatric patients, whereas Basic B.Sc. Nursing students showed comparatively lower knowledge scores. Attitude scores indicated generally favorable attitudes across all groups, with MBBS students showing the highest attitude scores and B.P.Th students the lowest. No significant correlation was found between knowledge and attitude. However, native residential area and annual income showed a significant association with attitude toward psychiatric patients.

Conclusion: The study concludes that undergraduate health sciences students possess varying levels of knowledge and attitude toward psychiatric patients. The structured knowledge questionnaire and modified attitude rating scale were effective tools for assessment. Strengthening mental health education within undergraduate curricula may further improve attitudes and promote stigma-free psychiatric care.