Public health nurses’ perinatal mental health training needs: A cross sectional survey

Aim: To examine public health nurses’ education, training, and professional support needs in perinatal mental health. Background: Public health nurses have a key role in supporting maternal mental health including screening, support, referral, and decreasing stigmatization. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Methods: Data were collected from a convenience sample of Irish public health nurses (N = 105) from December 2016–February 2018. The anonymous postal survey consisted of the Perinatal Mental Health Questionnaire, Mental Illness: Clinician's Attitudes scale and Perinatal Mental Health Learning Needs questionnaire. Results: Public health nurses reported good levels of knowledge (77.2%) and confidence (83.8%) in recognising women experiencing stress, anxiety and depression. They indicated less confidence in caring (50.5%) for women. The average score for the Mental Illness: Clinician's Attitudes scale was 35.9 (SD 5.9), suggesting positive attitudes towards women with significant mental illness. Conclusion: Public health nurses require educational opportunities to explore expressions of psychological distress across cultures and their own personal attitudes to mental health, systems of clinical supervision, and support pathways. Impact: Generating new knowledge on the importance of incorporating an attitude component in perinatal mental health education for public health nurses.